A Different Side
by August08
Summary: Raph meets a girl who gives him a strange mirror. As time goes on his brothers begin to notice changes occurring in his personality. As well as a new kind of evil that threatens to destroy him from the inside out.
1. Strange Encounters

**A/N**: Hey, there. I'm back. I know I haven't been gone for a long time but I'm in the writing mood. The idea for this story came from another cartoon. I've had this written for some time now, back before I knew anything about this site. So, I've decided to rewrite it. As always, this story's fate rests in the hands of the readers.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Turtles.

* * *

It wasn't like he didn't mind the exercise. That was why he was topside anyway. But did _they really_ have to ruin a perfect run with a poorly thought out ambush? Oh, well. The Foot weren't known for their brains.

Raphael jumped over the gap between rooftops. He landed gracefully on the other side and continued running. Now he knew what Leonardo felt like when he had been ambushed. Raphael just hoped that Shredder wasn't somewhere along his path. The turtle looked over his shoulder. The number of ninjas had doubled since he last checked. He was _not_ in the mood for this. Two months had past since he had been captured by Shredder and turned into one of his Foot Tech drones. The last thing he wanted to see now was the Foot.

Raphael slid to a stop. He was panting heavily and his heart was working over time. Two dozen or so Foot soldiers blocked the reptile's path. Raphael growled in annoyance. Even though it gave him indescribable pleasure to take on terrible odds, he began to back up.

_"Make a run for it. Make a run for it and live to fight another day,"_ his mind screamed at him.

Raphael turned around and saw the group of ninjas pursuing him land on the rooftop. There were too many to count. An impossible fray to win. Raphael felt adrenaline begin to shoot through his veins.

_"Fight or flight?"_ he asked himself. _"Fight and meet an early grave? Or run and be guaranteed to live?"_

Raphael looked around. It seemed like with every second that ticked by more and more ninjas appeared. The turtle began backing up towards the edge of the building. The Foot ninjas followed his every move. Raphael stepped up on to the ledge and prepared himself to jump if his attackers made any kind of move towards him. He felt the bands around his wrists vibrate. It was a feeling he had gotten used to whenever he was threatened. The bands and belt would vibrate and then release the armour. After the skirmish was over it would retreat back into the bands. Raphael fingered his shell cell. He needed back up. He needed his brothers. He would even settle for Casey at this point.

_What are you waitin' for? Make a break for it already!_ his body and mind yelled.

Raphael shook his head to try to clear it. Anger and frustration was quickly clouding his senses. He couldn't afford to lose focus right now. The young mutant edged closer to the side. He heard cars roaring down the street below. A light pole stood almost directly below where Raphael stood. The red-masked ninja looked back at the black-clad humans. A few got the bright idea of moving. Without hesitation, Raphael jumped. He reached out and grabbed the light pole. He used the momentum to vault himself across the street and disappeared into an alley.

Raphael ran for a few more blocks before stopping. He lend up against the wall and closed his eyes. He could hardly breathe and his rapidly pounding heart didn't help matters. Raphael slid down the wall until he was sitting on the ground. He took out his shell cell and opened it. He was about to dial Leonardo's number when he heard the unmistakable sounds of a struggle.

"Let go of me! Help! Someone help!"

Raphael closed his phone and shot to his feet. He was mindful to keep an eye out for any Foot ninjas.

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

Raphael crept down the back alley he was in and peeked around the corner. A young girl was cornered by what looked like Purple Dragons.

"You know what we're talking about. Now, hand it over!"

There was a whistle, as if someone was trying to catch someone else's attention. The two men turned around. Their eyes grew wide when they saw the red-masked turtle standing behind them. Arms crossed and a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Hi," Raphael greeted.

The girl went rigid.

"Now, what would two punks like you be harassing a nice girl like her?" Raphael asked, nodding to the young female.

"None of your business, freak," one of the Dragons spat.

Raphael growled at the name. He never _did _like being called a freak. He uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his sais.

"I'll give ya to the count a' three," he said.

"Huh?"

"One..."

No one moved.

"Two..."

One of the Dragons made a run for it. His friend soon followed him. Raphael chuckled. It worked every time. There was a small whimper. Raphael turned to the girl. He walked over and knelt down.

"Are ya hurt?"

The girl shook her head. Her eyes darted across Raphael's body.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt ya," Raphael assured her.

"Do you live in Brooklyn?" the girl asked, her voice shaking.

"No. Been there a few times though," Raphael replied.

"You speak with the Brooklyn accent."

"Yeah. That eludes even me."

The girl looked around the alley.

"No one's gonna hurt ya," Raphael repeated. "Would you mind tellin' me what those guys wanted?"

The girl didn't move, nor did she say anything. Her eyes remained fixed on the turtle's in front of her.

"You're in turmoil," she whispered.

Raphael frowned.

"Pardon?"

"Your mind is troubled," the girl said a bit louder.

"No it isn't," Raphael denied.

"I can see it in your eyes. You hide emotions that are not meant to be hidden," the girl explained.

Raphael shifted uncomfortably. He had been lectured on such things by Splinter when he was a preteen. He didn't need to be reminded of it by a girl who he hardly knew. He felt something hot rise in his chest. The girl's eyes fell to her rescuer's chest.

"We tend to hide scars beneath a mask. Only to have those scars turn into an enemy that even we ourselves cannot defeat," she said.

"Listen, kid, I'm in kind of a hurry," Raphael replied.

"They were looking for this," the girl answered, reaching into her coat and pulling out a hand mirror.

She held it out for Raphael to take. The turtle cautiously took it.

"What's so special about this?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, sir," the girl answered.

"Oh, it's of those 'ya gotta find out for yourself' deals," Raphael muttered.

"Something like that," the girl confirmed. Her eyes drifted upward. "You have company."

Raphael swung around.

"Shell," he growled through clenched teeth.

The ninjas jumped down into the alley. Raphael turned back to the girl, only to find she was gone. With an irritated growl, Raphael tied the handle of the mirror to his belt and headed up the fire escape. The Foot soldiers followed.

"These guys just won't quit," Raphael said as the group from earlier rejoined the chase. "Whoa!"

He came to a sudden stop. Hun and the Foot Elite stood in front of him.

"Long time no see, Red," Hun said.

"Ugh," Raphael moaned. "Ya know I preferred it when you used to call me 'freak'."

He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sais. Hun walked up.

"The Shredder's been lookin' for you."

"No kiddin'. Coulda fooled me," Raphael said.

The air was suddenly forced out of his lungs. Raphael found himself on his back, gasping for air. Hun loomed over him.

"That smart mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one of these days, turtle," the human mountain warned.

Raphael struggled to his knees. An agonized moan escaped him. He hated being on his knees in front of the Foot, even more so in front of Hun. Raphael felt a small tug on his belt.

"I never thought you freaks were into grooming," Hun said.

Raphael felt his side. The mirror was gone. The turtle looked up to find that Hun had it dangling over him. Raphael took a deep breath and slammed into Hun's stomach. As Hun fell, he dropped the mirror. Raphael dove and caught the mirror before it fell to the concrete. The Foot charged. The mirror began to glow. Raphael squeezed his eyes shut as a burst of light shot out of the mirror. He felt something wrap around his wrists.

_"You cannot escape me,"_ a voice hissed.

And just as soon as it had appeared, the light vanished. Raphael dropped the mirror and stumbled back. He looked around. Whatever that light was, it had taken care of the Foot problem. The sai-wielder dropped to his knees and tried to catch his breath. Raphael looked at the mirror. Something was seriously wrong with that thing.

_"You cannot escape me."_

Raphael shook his head. Great, now he was hearing voices.

_"You cannot run. You cannot hide. You will belong to me."_

Raphael got to his feet and picked up the mirror.

"Donny will know what to do with ya," he muttered.

* * *

So? What do you think? Worth continuing?

Reviews are always welcome. However, flames will be used to keep this story's wildfire burning.


	2. Almost Scared

The mirror instantly disappeared within a pile of old clothes. Raphael walked over to his hammock and fell into it. It rocked from side to side and slowly came to a stop. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt extremely tired. He had half dragged himself into the lair, which immediately raised concern in his brothers and father. Donatello went into doctor mode and bombarded Raphael with questions too fast for the turtle in red to answer. Splinter and Leonardo wanted to know why he was so late getting back, and Michelangelo wondered where the mirror came from. Raphael had shrugged them off and disappeared into his room. His temper had been shortened to a very dangerous length and he didn't want to blow up in anyone's face.

Raphael sighed and draped his arm over his eyes. He still felt out of place, even after two months and countless reassurances that he was once and for all Shredder-free. However, the scars on Michelangelo's plastron were an ugly reminder of how badly Raphael had failed in protecting his family, even if it was only him that felt that way.

_"Raphael. Raphael."_

Raphael glanced up and looked at the door. No one had knocked. So, who was saying his name?

_"Raphael."_

The second oldest sat up and looked around his room. He knew that voice all too well. It still haunted his darkest nightmares.

_"I can taste your fear, young one."_

Raphael shook his head. He put his head in his hands.

"Get a grip, Raph. You're just imaginin' things," he told himself.

_"You have been saying that for the past two months, young turtle. Do you honestly believe that it is true?"_

The red-clad ninja looked up. The place where he had discarded the mirror was bathed in a dark, red glow. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Raphael jumped and let out a startled cry. The glow disappeared, leaving the room in darkness.

"Raph, we're going over to April's. Wanna come?" Leonardo asked.

Raphael was at the door in a split second. Leonardo stepped back when his brother quickly opened the door and rushed out.

"When are we leavin'?"

"You okay, Raph?" Leonardo asked.

"I'm...I'm fine," Raphael stammered.

"You almost sound...scared," Leonardo commented.

Raphael stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face his blue-banded sibling.

"I ain't scared of nothin'," he hissed.

"You can't hide what's in your voice, bro," Leonardo said.

"Whatever," Raphael whispered.

He headed downstairs. Leonardo sighed. It hadn't been an easy two months. Raphael had isolated himself for the first half of the first month, refusing to interact with anyone. He even refused to train.

"Raph, please, talk to me. We used to do that more than anything."

"Time changes things, Leo."

Leonardo hurried after his brother. Raphael was almost to the elevator when he felt someone grab his arm. He turned around to see Leonardo looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Raph, please? I feel like we're slowly losing you again."

"There's nothin' you have to worry about, Fearless. Now stop acting like a wimp," Raphael scowled, pulling his arm out of Leonardo's grip.

Leonardo moaned. Donatello and Michelangelo walked up. They each held the same worried expression. They were losing their brother again.

"I hope Shredder hasn't hacked into that armour," Michelangelo said.

"No chance of that happening. I made sure to over-ride all of the old programming," Donatello explained.

"Come on. Let's go before Raph goes on without us," Leonardo told his brothers.

They made their way inside the elevator and headed up to the garage.

* * *

"I'm really glad you guys could come over," April said.

"It's great to get out of the lair," Donatello replied.

Raphael drummed his fingers on the table. He was playing a card game with Casey and it was taking forever for the vigilante to play.

"I ain't gettin' any younger, Case," the red-masked reptile announced.

"I'm thinkin'," Casey said.

Raphael scoffed. Casey finally played his turn. Raphael rubbed his eyes. He was suddenly getting a headache.

"You okay, Raph?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. Just got a headache all of a sudden," Raphael answered. "It's nothin'. Just forget it."

In the kitchen, April, Donatello and Leonardo were getting snacks ready for a movie night.

"Raph's been acting strange lately," April noted.

"He's still getting over what happened with the Shredder," Leonardo told her.

"Not that. I mean, Raph has never been prone to headaches, has he?" April asked.

"Ever since we freed him from Shredder's grasp he has," Donatello replied.

"Don't worry about it, April. If something was wrong we would know about it," Leonardo assured the red-head.

"Okay, dude, that is _so_ not fair," Casey scowled.

Raphael laid down a winning hand and laughed at his friend's agonized expression.

"When did ya get so good at this game, anyway?" Casey asked.

"If ya got it, ya got it," Raphael answered.

He moaned again as the headache intensified.

"Okay, Raph, you're seriously freakin' me out here," Casey said.

"S'nothin'," Raphael groaned.

Michelangelo looked up from the magazine he was reading and glanced over at his other two brothers. Leonardo and Donatello gave him the same helpless expression. What if Shredder really _was_ taking over again?

"I think I'm gonna go lie down for a bit," Raphael said, getting to his feet and heading for the bedroom.

"Do you want me to wake you when the movie's ready?" April asked.

"Thanks, April," Raphael replied.

He walked into the bedroom and closed the door. He walked over to the bed and lay down. Sleep took over as soon his head hit the pillow.

* * *

_When Raphael woke up the room was dark. Wasn't April supposed to have called him when they were ready to start the movie? The turtle got up and headed for the door. Listening carefully, all he heard was silence. Raphael slowly opened the door. He stepped out of the room and looked around._

_"Leo? Don? Mike?" he whispered._

_No one answered._

_"April?"_

_Nothing._

_The hot-head swallowed hard._

_"Casey?"_

_Raphael edged closer to the living room area. He was getting a bad feeling about this. The bands and belt began to vibrate against his skin._

_"Come on, guys. This isn't funny."_

_He stepped into the living room. A horrified cry escaped him. His brothers, April and Casey were lying lifelessly on the floor. A cold hand touched Raphael's shoulder. The ninja swung around and pulled out his sais. A bladed figure stepped out of the shadows._

_"Shredder?" Raphael breathed._

_"Did you truly believe you could escape me?" Shredder hissed, his eyes narrowing._

_"It's not possible."_

_"You will discover that anything is possible for the Foot."_

_Raphael felt metal snake up his arms and chest. The belt opened and soon his legs were also covered in metal. Raphael felt a burning sensation rise in his chest again._

_"You have nowhere to go, Raphael," Shredder said._

_"I am not going back," Raphael growled._

_"Then where will you go? You have destroyed your family," Shredder replied._

_"I didn't...I would never..."_

_"Then tell me..."_

_Shredder slowly took off his helmet. Raphael's eyes widened in horror when he saw who was under the helmet. He was staring into his own eyes._

_"Do you know who you are?"_

"Raph. Raph, wake up."

Raphael's eyes shot open. April was staring down at him. Her emerald eyes were a welcomed relief.

"April," Raphael gasped. "What are you..."

"You told me to wake you up when the movie was starting," April answered.

"Right," Raphael said.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Cold metal enveloped his hands.

"You must have been having one heck of a nightmare to activate the bands," April commented.

Raphael watched as the metal released its grip and collapsed back into the bands. He was losing his mind, he was sure of it.

"So, are you coming out?" April asked.

"Yeah. I'll be out in a minute," Raphael replied.

April stood up and walked out of the room. Raphael looked down at his hands again.

_"First the dream about the warehouse and now this. I'm losin' it."_

His chest began to burn again, and he knew it wasn't because of heartburn. Raphael slid off the bed and made his way out to the living room. Tomorrow he was going to find that girl and make her take the mirror back.

* * *

What do you think?


	3. Rea

How was it that when you didn't want to run into someone they always seemed to cross your path, but when you wanted to find a person you could never seem to find them?

"This would be a lot easier if we had a description," Donatello voiced.

"The alley was dark. I couldn't see her face properly," Raphael muttered.

The four brothers had split up in order to cover more ground. Leonardo and Michelangelo were covering Manhattan (seeing is how that was where Raphael had ran into the girl the first time), and Donatello and Raphael were covering Brooklyn. For some weird reason the ninja in red found it extremely ironic. He couldn't help but allow a small smile to cross his (otherwise emotionless) face.

"What are you smiling at?" Donatello questioned.

"Huh? Oh, just somethin' the girl told me," Raphael answered.

Donatello frowned. It wasn't like Raphael to show any kind of emotion (even a smile) in public. His features were always set in a hard glare.

"You've been acting awfully strange lately, Raph."

"Have I?"

"Raph, in all the years I've known you, seventeen going on eighteen, I've never seen you smile openly before," Donatello explained.

Raphael shrugged. His attention was taken by a familiar looking human.

"There she is," he announced.

Before Donatello could make a move, Raphael was down the fire escape.

"Since when did he get so fast?" the brainy turtle asked himself.

Raphael followed the girl, keeping well hidden. She led him to an old apartment building. The red-masked turtle climbed the fire escape. Donatello appeared on the rooftop across the street. Raphael looked over at his brother. Donatello gave the signal that the girl was on the fifth floor in the third room from the end. Raphael gave him the thumbs up and went to work. He swung himself over the edge and down on to the window sill. Donatello settled himself down where he stood and waited for his brother.

Raphael opened the window and slipped inside. The room was dark, even though there was plenty of light coming in through the window. He heard voices coming from the hall. The door opened and the girl walked in.

"Long time no see, kid."

The girl swung around. A warm smile brightened her face.

"It's good to see you again. How are you?" she asked.

Raphael took out the mirror.

"You have to take this back."

"Why?"

"Because anything that causes a person, or mutant turtle in my case, to hear voices is never a good thing."

"I'm afraid I can't take it back, sir," the girl replied.

"Will you quit callin' me that?"

"What would have me call you?"

"Raphael."

"Unique name. It goes well with your accent," the girl commented.

"Will you lay off about my accent? Why won't you take the mirror?" Raphael asked.

The girl turned on the light. Now Raphael could see who he was talking to. The young human was no older than fourteen. Her shoulder length hair was a unique mixture of red and blue. She had light brown eyes and wore clothes that looked like they had once belonged to an older sibling, they were far too big for her small frame.

"Because it now belongs to you. Once the mirror is passed on to a new owner it can't go back to its previous one. Kind of like a family heirloom," the girl explained.

"This is no ordinary mirror, is it?"

The girl shook her head with a bright smile.

"Nope."

"You are one strange human," Raphael commented.

"I get that a lot. However, life is too boring if everyone was the same. There has to be some people who stand out," the girl told the mutant.

Raphael simply nodded.

"Whatever you say, kid," he said.

"Rea."

"Excuse me?"

"My name. It's Rea," the girl replied.

"Okay. So...Rea, if I had any questions and I needed to talk to you, how would I find you?" Raphael asked.

Rea looked thoughtful for a minute.

"Use the mirror," she finally replied.

"Use the mirror?" Raphael repeated slowly.

Rea nodded a confirmation.

"One strange human," Raphael muttered.

"Thank you, Raphael," Rea answered.

"How do I use the mirror?" Raphael asked.

"Like you would with any other mirror," Rea told him.

"Any other mirror doesn't give off an unnatural light whenever it's left alone."

"Yeah, it does that sometimes," Rea confessed. "I guess I should have told you that before. But, Common Sense said to let you find out for yourself."

Raphael frowned.

"You say that as if it was a person."

Rea cleared her throat as if she had said something she wasn't supposed to.

"Rea, come on, dear. Dinner's ready," a woman called from the hall.

"Coming," Rea called back.

Raphael tied the mirror to his belt again and headed out of the window.

"Raphael."

The turtle lend through the window.

"I believe it's only fair that I should give you a warning, in case we don't meet for a while," Rea said.

"And that is?" Raphael asked.

"Keeping things to yourself will only cause heart break. If something is troubling you, talk to someone. There's always one person who will listen," Rea advised.

"Not in my world, Rea," Raphael replied.

And with that, he disappeared from the window.

"You can't say I didn't warn you," Rea whispered.

* * *

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

No flames


	4. Out of Hiding

**A/N**: Heads up! From here on out if Raph seems OOC _please_ don't get mad. I need him in that sort of setting for this story to work. Okay? Don't get mad at me, please?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Turtles, only Rea.

* * *

"Are you seein' this or is it just me?" Michelangelo asked.

It had been three days since the ambush and everything was in a confusing mess. And that confusing mess was Raphael. He didn't show any emotion (apart from anger) on the best of days. Now, as he sparred against Leonardo, he was practically bouncing with built up excitement that only Michelangelo demonstrated.

"It's not just you, Mikey," Donatello replied.

"Since when did Raph bounce?" Michelangelo wanted to know.

"I have not seen Raphael with so much energy since you were all toddlers," Splinter spoke up. "Sometimes I wondered if I gave him the right name."

"Or the right colored mask?" Donatello asked. "Because right now, red is looking mighty strange on him."

Leonardo swung his sword, only have Raphael deflect it easily with a sai.

"C'mon, Leo. Are ya even tryin'?"

"I'm trying," Leonardo panted. "But _someone_ won't stand still."

Raphael side stepped another attack. He didn't know why, but he found himself a creepy good mood.

"Remember that sayin' about how water wears away stuff in its path?" he suddenly asked.

Leonardo looked at his red masked brother. Raphael's eyes held a look that they hadn't contained since early childhood. It was the look a child got when they did something right and they didn't know it until someone praised them for a job well done. It was the look of achievement.

"Yeah. I remember," the leader panted.

A smirked crossed Raphael's features.

"I think I just understood what that means."

"Took you long enough," Leonardo joked.

"That is enough for today," Splinter announced. "Raphael, I would like to have a word with you."

Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo made their way out of the dojo. The blue-masked turtle bent backwards and felt his back crack.

"Dudes, that was totally creepy," Michelangelo voiced.

"I agree. I've never seen Raph that...bouncy? since we were kids," Donatello added. "And even then he didn't show signs of high adrenaline levels. That was always Mikey's department."

Leonardo rubbed the back of his neck. A flash of light blue caught his eye. He looked up towards Raphael's room. A faint blue light disappeared. Leonardo frowned.

"Don, would it be possible for you to run some tests on that mirror Rea gave Raph?"

"I guess. Why?" Donatello asked.

"I don't trust it," Leonardo answered.

"You don't trust a _mirror_?" Michelangelo questioned.

"When said mirror gives off a strange light whenever a certain hothead has strange mood-swings, not so much," Leonardo explained.

* * *

Raphael groaned in pain. When was it that whenever he had a sudden mood shift he would always ache? He hissed in pain as he shifted into a more comfortable position. However, that was difficult when he was in his hammock. Splinter had detained him in the dojo for a good two hours trying to determine what was causing his son to act so strange. The only answer he got was, "I guess I'm just in a good mood".

Raphael turned over on his side, his shell facing the door. He closed his eyes and calmed his pained breathing. Every muscle in his body begged for relief that just didn't seem to exist. The worst had been when he had experienced a sudden wave of unnatural calm when Michelangelo had pulled one of his many practical jokes. Raphael didn't even know he could be so patient and calm.

"Maybe that mirror isn't so bad after all," the turtle in red muttered to himself.

It certainly helped with the more important things, like keeping him from strangling his little brother. Raphael took a deep breath and allowed sleep to claim him. Unfortunately, his sleep was interrupted by a sudden red light. Raphael turned over to see what was the cause for the sudden light, only to have everything vanish from sight.

"Okay, that's not cool," Raphael groaned.

He tried to regain some of his senses. He pushed himself into a sitting position, only to find that he was no longer in his hammock but on the stone floor.

"What the?"

Raphael got to his feet and headed in the direction he hoped would lead him to the door. Feeling around in the dark, Raphael found the door handle. He turned it and opened the door.

"This is getting weirder and weirder. Where the heck am I?"

Raphael stepped out into the abandoned street. How had he managed to get from the lair to street level? He was hoping that this wasn't some kind of dream. Raphael closed his eyes and pinched his arm. He yelped in pain. Okay, so he wasn't dreaming. The turtle looked around. Something was obviously off about New York. For one thing, where were the humans? Raphael felt fear and panic begin to rise in his stomach. Just then, he heard the sound of armoured vehicles coming closer. The ninja began heading for the nearest alley.

"Halt!"

Raphael froze in mid-step. He turned to face the person who had yelled. His eyes widened. Black ops surrounded him.

"Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air," one of the men ordered.

Out of the corner of his eye, Raphael saw a large shadowy figure. He frowned when he saw the outline of a large tail.

"Hands in the air, turtle!"

Raphael slowly raised his hands. How had he managed to get himself caught by Bishop? One of the men walked over and pulled Raphael's arms behind his back. The human pressed something on the wrist bands and they magnetized. Raphael winced slightly.

"After years of waiting and planning, everything is finally coming together."

Raphael growled when Bishop stepped out of the shadows. Something seemed slightly off about the man. Looking closer, Raphael could see a slight tint of red in Bishop's suit.

"I never saw you as the red type, Bishop," Raphael said.

"Then, you need to learn how to be more observant," Bishop replied.

"Yeah, like how New York is suddenly a ghost town?" Raphael asked.

Bishop looked around.

"Suddenly? Raphael, New York has always been like this," he explained.

"Care to explain?"

But, before anyone could speak, a loud roar erupted from the alley. Something large attacked Bishop and his men. Raphael soon found himself being pulled into a back alley.

"Why did you come out of hiding?"

"Leatherhead?"

The magnetic pull on the bands vanished and Raphael pulled his arms out in front of him. He turned around to face the mutant croc.

"Raphael, I thought we had an agreement," Leatherhead said.

Raphael frowned. "What agreement?" he asked.

"Have you forgotten so soon?"

"Leatherhead, I have no idea what you're..."

The croc held up his hand. Black vans drove by.

"You are no longer safe here. Bishop has been searching the city day and night for you," Leatherhead whispered after the vans had passed.

"What about Leo, Don, Mike and Splinter? Are they okay?" Raphael asked.

"They are fine. But, it is just you Bishop, the Foot and the Purple Dragons want," Leatherhead replied.

"What did I do to them?" Raphael wanted to know.

"More than you can possibly imagine," Leatherhead answered. "Now come, I must get you to a safe location."

"I ain't goin' anywhere 'till I see my brothers and Splinter," Raphael protested.

"We do not have time for this."

"You think I'm a wimp and can't take care of myself against Bishop, huh?"

"You are far from it. Raphael, you are the bravest person I have known. However, being brave also means you know when to make a strategic retreat," Leatherhead explained. "That you are not afraid to run and live to see another sunrise."

"Fine," Raphael growled.

Leatherhead smiled. He led the ninja through the alley. Raphael rubbed his eyes. He was getting a headache again. The croc stopped when he came to a small abandoned house. He opened the side door and motioned Raphael to get inside. Before the sai-wielder could make a move, a bright light shot on.

"You there! Halt where you are!"

"When will Bishop learn when to quit?" Raphael yelled.

Leatherhead suddenly grabbed his friend's arm and practically threw him into the house. Raphael flew through the door and landed flat on his shell in his room. He groaned in pain.

"I'm losin' my mind," he groaned.

He pushed himself into a sitting position and glanced around. He was back in his room. The weight rack sat a few feet away. Raphael hung his head and closed his eyes.

"I wonder if hallucinations are a sign of insanity," he muttered.

* * *

Don't get mad at me if this chapter seemed weak.

If anyone has any ideas for future chapters, let me know. No obligation required.


	5. Suspicions

**A/N**: Please forgive me for the delay. I have been detained by a very good book lately and I have finally finished it.

**Disclaimer**: Again, I don't own the Turtles, only Rea.

* * *

Donatello turned the mirror around in his hands. He had been examining it for the past three hours and he was still no closer to determining why Leonardo had placed it in his "don't trust" list. The bo wielder looked up when he heard someone enter his lab.

"Hey, Raph," he greeted.

"Hey, Donny. Have you seen Rea's mirror?" Raphael asked.

Donatello held out the desired object.

"Leo wanted me to run some tests on it," he answered the unasked question.

Raphael walked over and took the mirror from his brother.

"Why would Leo want that?"

"He thinks it has something to do with...uh..."

Donatello trailed off. He had made a silent vow to himself that he wouldn't mention Raphael's unnerving behavior.

"To do with what?" Raphael asked.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Donatello replied.

Raphael's eyes narrowed into his famous intimidating glare. Donatello forced himself to look away. Stare too long into Raphael's eyes and you would be confessing every bad thing you had committed. His glare was more powerful than truth serum.

"He thought it had something to do with the Foot," Donatello explained quickly.

He chanced a glance up at his older brother. Raphael's amber eyes were still narrowed, but not to the degree to cause mental or emotional damage.

"Why would Leo think that?" the red-masked brother asked.

Donatello shrugged. "It's Leo," he answered.

"Yeah. It's Leo," Raphael agreed quietly. "Anyway, thanks, Don."

"Anytime," Donatello whispered.

Raphael headed out of the lab. Donatello sighed and rubbed his eyes. He lend back in his chair, placed his fingers on either side of his head and began massaging his skull. He was a scientist not a magician. And he doubted the Foot had anything to do with the mirror. The only one who had any idea on how it worked was Rea, and she wasn't talking anytime soon.

"Headache?"

Donatello cringed at his little brother's voice. He heard a low *thud* on the desk, as if something had been placed on it. Donatello opened his eyes and glanced down. A mug of black, steaming liquid sat in front of him. The purple-masked reptile picked the mug up and breathed in the sweet aroma.

"You're a mind-reader, Mike," Donatello said softly.

"I saw Raph come in here and figured you could some coffee," Michelangelo explained.

"Raph wasn't too over-bearing," Donatello told his brother, taking a sip of coffee.

"What did he want?"

"Just the mirror."

Michelangelo frowned in confusion.

"Of all things," he muttered.

Donatello took another sip, wincing as it slightly burned his tongue.

"It has some significance to him."

"Such as?" Michelangelo asked.

Donatello lowered the mug and looked at the wall in front of him as if it would give him the meaning to life. Raphael wanted to keep that mirror within reach, if only to somehow return it to Rea. It was another mystery that involved an endless headache and countless cups of coffee. Donatello finally just settled for shaking his head in an "I don't know" gesture.

"Be patient, Mikey. I'm sure the answer will come out and bite us eventually."

"With our luck? We'd be lucky if we don't get blasted to another dimension to find that answer," Michelangelo said.

Donatello smiled. The 'chuck wielder had a point. They usually had to learn a lesson the hard way. And that almost always meant a trip through time or space.

"I hope it doesn't come to that," the brother in purple sighed, rolling his shoulders.

Michelangelo nodded his agreement, then headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Donatello asked.

"I ordered Chinese for dinner. I'm heading up to April's get it now. She said I could use her address for the delivery," Michelangelo answered.

"Be careful," Donatello said.

"Aren't I always?" Michelangelo asked as he bounded out of the lab.

Donatello shook his head and took another sip of coffee. He was left in the lair with a paranoid Leonardo, an emotionally unstable Raphael and a meditative Splinter. He could handle Splinter, Leonardo and Raphael, not so much. Donatello unwillingly pushed himself out of his chair and headed for the kitchen. But, before he was too far out the door, he grabbed a book, making sure it had some story line to it. With book in hand, Donatello made his way to the kitchen. His stomach was starting to do back flips. It was a feeling he got whenever something was about to go amiss. And it usually ended very, _very_ badly.

* * *

Dinner had never been a noisy gathering, nor was it a quiet one. Yet, something hung in the air that caused the family of five to eat in silence. Everyone except Raphael. The sai-wielder just pushed his food around the plate with his fork, a bored look on his face. Michelangelo just kept his eyes on his own plate, Donatello focused his attention on the book he had brought to the table, and Leonardo and Splinter shared equally worried and concerned glances. Finally, the rat cleared his throat.

"I sense that something is troubling you, Raphael."

Raphael just shrugged. Donatello took his eyes off the sentence he had been staring at for the past fifteen minutes and looked up. Since when did Raphael take a vow of silence?

"Are you ill?" Splinter asked.

Again, Raphael shrugged. Splinter's tail twitched, a sure sign that he was getting annoyed.

"Raphael, it is disrespectful not answer when you are spoken to."

"Shredder didn't care," Raphael muttered so quietly that it was almost missed.

"What was that?" Splinter asked.

Raphael pushed his chair away from the table and headed out of the kitchen. Leonardo began to follow him when Splinter placed a hand on his arm. The ninja master followed his son out into the main area of the lair.

"Raphael. Raphael."

"That's my name, don't wear it out," Raphael snapped, turning to face the rat.

The remaining brothers tensed. Splinter's ears flattened against his head.

"Your behaviour has been disturbing, of late," the rat told his son.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I guess we can't all be as perfect as your dear Leonardo," Raphael replied, making a mocking bow.

Michelangelo and Donatello looked at each other, eyes wide with horror. Leonardo just stared out of the doorway at his brother and father. Even Raphael knew the difference of talking back to Splinter.

"What has come over you?" Splinter demanded.

Raphael shrugged again.

"Sense, I guess," he answered.

"Sense?!" Leonardo suddenly cried.

The two younger boys jumped. Leonardo got to his feet and stormed over to Splinter's side.

"Raph, you're not acting like yourself at all. You're not talking sense, you're talking...there's not even a _word_ for it."

"My apologizes, oh Perfect One," Raphael spat.

Donatello buried his face in his hands and Michelangelo gave a small whimper. This was bad. This was very, _very_ bad. This was _not _Raphael Hamato. This was a _very_ bad dream. Something caught the leader's eye. Leonardo shifted his gaze towards Raphael's bedroom. The darkness was pierced by a strange red light. Leonardo frowned, but turned his attention back to the matter at hand. Splinter spoke again.

"I do not know what has possessed you to talk like this, Raphael. But, whatever it is...Raphael?"

He trailed off when Raphael grunted and stumbled backwards. The light from the room vanished. Leonardo rushed forward and caught his brother before he fell. Raphael rubbed his head. He looked around with a dazed expression, as though he had just been snapped out of a trance.

"What happened? How did we get out here?" he asked.

"You...don't remember?" Leonardo puzzled.

"Remember what?" Raphael replied.

"You said a few words we never thought could come out of your mouth," Donatello mumbled from the kitchen table.

"Dare I ask what?" Raphael asked.

Splinter cleared his throat, stopping Leonardo from answering.

"Raphael, you are to meet me in my room in ten minutes. Until then, you are limited to only your room to think about what you have said," the rat instructed.

Raphael looked as if he had been hit in the stomach.

"B-but, sensei. How can I 'think about what I said' when I can't even remember saying anything?" he asked.

"I am sure the answer will reveal itself," Splinter told his son.

"Please, master..."

Splinter pointed his walking stick to the upper floor. With a defeated sigh, Raphael made his way upstairs. Splinter tapped his walking stick against Leonardo's shell and led him back to the table.

* * *

Raphael kicked his bedside table. When had his emotions suddenly decided to run away?

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" he yelled. "You don't listen to your emotions, bonehead!"

Raphael began to pace. It had been almost a week since he talked to Rea, and ever since then he had been having weird mood-swings.

"Since when did I have mood-swings?"

Raphael looked at the alarm clock. It was almost time for his meeting with Splinter. What was he supposed to say? That his emotions had gone out of whack and that he kept having hallucinations? Splinter would deem him legally insane. Taking a deep breath, Raphael opened the door and made his way downstairs. He didn't have to be Leonardo to sense that a long lecture had been prepared. Rubbing his neck nervously, Raphael knocked on his father's bedroom door.

"Enter."

Raphael closed his eyes and opened the door.

"Kneel."

Raphael stepped into the room, closed the door and then walked over to kneel in front of his teacher. Splinter's eyes were closed and his head was bowed. Raphael kept his head bowed and his eyes fixed on the stone floor when he felt Splinter's eyes rest upon him.

"Master Splinter, I..."

"Shh," Splinter whispered.

Raphael fell silent. He felt his eyes burn. What was wrong with him?

"I have been meditating on current events, and I have decided that..."

Raphael's head shot up, fear shining in his eyes.

"Sensei, you're not..."

"Raphael, calm down," Splinter instructed softly. "No, I am not sending you away like I did Leonardo. His situation was different than yours."

"Then...what..."

Splinter held up a hand. Raphael fell silent, secretly biting his tongue before he could blurt out anything else. He had already tested his father's patience once tonight.

"Raphael, I want you to give me the mirror."

The turtle inwardly groaned.

"Did Leo..."

"Leonardo had nothing to do with this decision," Splinter assured his second oldest son. "However, he is the one who brought an interesting theory to me."

"Rea's mirror has nothing to do with my behavior, Master Splinter," Raphael whispered.

"Nonetheless, you are to give me the mirror for safe keeping until further notice," Splinter explained.

"Yes, sensei," Raphael sighed in defeat.

He got to his feet and headed for his room. A few minutes later, Raphael returned to his father's room and handed him the mirror.

"I know this is difficult, my son. However, I want to see if you are better off without being in the company of this," Splinter explained.

"I understand," Raphael replied.

"You may go," Splinter dismissed.

Raphael bowed and then left the room. He had to admit, he felt a lot lighter without having to worry about where the mirror was. As long as it was with Splinter, nothing bad could happen to it or anyone surrounding it. Raphael's hand froze on the door handle of his room. Nothing bad could happen, unless _he_ got loose.

* * *

That took a bit longer than what I would have liked, but at least its finished.

What do you think?

As always, flames have absolutely no value


	6. Consequences

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Casey."

"Leo got ya in a bad mood?"

"It's got nothin' to do with Leo."

Casey looked down at his best friend with a confused look. Raphael was lying on his back on the rooftop. His arm was draped over his eyes.

"Ever since I saved that girl, Rea, I haven't been myself. Even _I _know somethin's wrong," the red-masked ninja continued.

"Yeah. Your bros did seem a little...edgy," Casey agreed.

Raphael scoffed.

"'Edgy' ain't the right word, Case," he scowled.

"What would ya call it then?" Casey asked.

"Scared," Raphael answered, finally looking up.

"Why would they be scared?" Casey questioned.

Raphael pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Try the fact that my temper's been out of whack lately. Last night I practically blew up in Splinter's face."

Casey's eyes widened with surprise.

"Exactly," Raphael muttered, lying back down.

A cool breeze blew across the roof. Raphael shivered unwillingly. Winter was on the way.

"So, what are you and April doin' for Thanksgiving?"

"She thought about inviting you guys and Splinter up to the apartment," Casey replied.

"I thought you two were goin' up to the farmhouse," Raphael confessed, looking up again.

Casey shook his head.

"Nope. She says that you, Leo, Don, Mike and Splinter are family and that Thanksgiving should be celebrated with family. I mean, c'mon, Raph. Isn't that the whole point?" he asked.

Raphael looked away.

"To tell you the truth, Case. I don't think that I'm goin' this year."

"Why not?"

"As Donny puts it, I'm 'emotionally unstable'," Raphael told the vigilante.

The turtle got to his feet and began to walk away. Casey hurried after him.

"You're gonna skip out on a massive turkey dinner with the works just because you've lost that 'tough guy' persona?" Casey asked.

"That's all I had," Raphael growled.

"You have dignity," Casey pointed out.

"Not much."

"Raph, why are you so stubborn?" Casey asked.

Raphael stopped dead. His head began to spin.

"Not again," he groaned.

"Not what again?" Casey asked.

Raphael shook his head. He growled in annoyance.

"I'm gonna go home and send that mirror to kingdom come."

"Seven years bad luck," Casey warned.

"It'll be a lot better than this," Raphael said as he stormed off the direction of the lair.

"So, about next week?"

"Yeah, I'll be there."

"Great. April's gonna be so psyched."

Raphael couldn't help but smile. He shook his head and a small chuckle escaped.

"Bonehead," he muttered under his breath.

"Hey, I'm not the one who's 'emotionally unstable'," Casey teased.

"Do you want me to push you off the roof?" Raphael threatened.

Casey laughed.

"That's the Raph we all know and love."

Raphael rolled his eyes. He quickened his pace so that he was at a light jog. Casey easily matched it. Raphael picked up the pace again only to have Casey match it again. Soon, the two friends were racing across the rooftops.

* * *

"So, you're coming to the apartment for turkey dinner next week, right?" April asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Michelangelo replied. "In fact, do you want me to come early to help you cook the dinner?"

"Mikey does make a mouth-watering turkey and dressing," Leonardo injected.

"I would love the help, Mikey," April told the orange-banded ninja.

"Awesome!" Michelangelo cheered.

Donatello shook his head. He looked at the clock. Raphael and Casey would be getting back soon. It was good for Raphael to get out of the lair for a while. Though, it seemed the power of the haunted mirror stalked the troubled teen wherever he was. An hour ago it had started giving off a navy blue light. However, it had vanished as quickly as it started. Maybe Casey wasn't a complete bonehead after all if he could calm Raphael down that fast.

Just then, the elevator doors opened and Raphael and Casey raced into the lair.

"Hey, April," Raphael greeted as he slid to a stop beside the red-head.

"Hi, Raph," April greeted back.

"No fair. She's _my_ fiance, therefore _I_ should be the first one to greet her," Casey protested.

"Don't worry, Casey. I've got a special one for you," April replied.

She walked over and kissed Casey's on the lips. Four teasing "Ew"s echoed. April purposely made the kiss longer.

"Gross. Okay, guys, get a room," Michelangelo pleaded.

Raphael picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at Casey's head.

"Knock it off. You got plenty of time for that mush at your own place," he said.

Leonardo and Donatello chuckled. April and Casey separated.

"So, how was your run?" Donatello asked.

"Refreshing," Raphael answered, stretching his arms over his head.

Casey looked at his watch.

"I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, but I'm gonna be late for work."

He kissed April again and ran to the elevator.

"Since when did Casey work outside of gang busting?" Donatello asked.

"He got a job at the hockey rink," April replied.

"Ironic," Raphael commented.

He glanced over at the closed doors of Splinter's room.

"Is Splinter meditating?"

"You should know by now, Raph," Leonardo said, flicking through the channels.

"Why?" Donatello asked.

"No reason. Uh, call me when dinner's ready," Raphael said.

He headed up to his room. Splinter would have to come out of his room sometime. The only problem was finding the mirror. Raphael closed his bedroom door and sighed. There was only one way to find it, and he was _not_ going to enjoy the consequences.

* * *

Rea dashed out of her room when there was a knock on the apartment door. The knocking grew louder and louder.

"Coming!" she called.

The fourteen-year-old almost smacked into the door when she came to a blinding halt. She frantically unlocked the door and swung it open. In an instant her anxiety disappeared.

"Oh. You."

Rea walked away from the door and headed for the kitchen area.

"Nice to see you, too."

The visitor walked into the apartment and closed the door.

"What do you want?" Rea asked. "I already have enough problems to worry about without you coming in here and telling me I'm not doing my job."

"What a coincidence. That's _exactly_ why I'm here."

"I am so doing my job!" Rea protested.

"Then why is that stupid mirror of yours giving off unnecessary energy?" the man asked.

Rea sighed and ran her fingers through her blue and red hair.

"I don't know. You-know-who didn't explain that part to me before you-know-what happened."

"Ain't it your job to make sure you-know-what doesn't happen again?" the man asked.

"I'm his _protector_, not his _parent_. I have to keep him out of trouble and trouble hasn't come his way...yet," Rea explained.

"I don't know why they sent a kid to do a grown-up's job."

"Are you talking about yourself?" Rea asked sarcastically.

"Get real, Rea. You can't always be at his side, the others would get suspicious," the man pointed out.

"Yeah. And if one of their human friends starts hanging around more it'll be perfectly natural," Rea added.

"At least it'll be better than having a kid hanging around."

"I'm not a kid. I'm a teenager. And I'm quite capable of taking care of myself and my charges. Now, if you don't mind, it's late and I have school tomorrow."

The man scoffed.

"Hey, just because I have a charge doesn't mean that I can't pretend to be a normal teenager," Rea scowled. "Now, out, out, out."

She shoved the man out the door. Before Rea could slam the door, the man grabbed it.

"I would tell him the truth about that screwed up mirror of yours before it was too late, Rea," he advised.

"Out!"

Rea slammed the door and sighed in relief. It had been a long night.

_"How am I supposed to tell him the truth now? But, if I don't, not only will his life be in danger, but also the lives of those around him."_

* * *

What do you think?


	7. Free

**A/N**: I have to learn that there is life outside of books. And that there is a story people are waiting for updates on my file. Luckily I have a couple of chapters written down so it won't take so long to get chapters up. Thank you for your patience with me.

* * *

"Come on, Mike, we're going to be late!" Donatello called.

Michelangelo hurried downstairs, Klunk on his heels. Donatello tapped his foot impatiently.

"What? I couldn't find my 'chucks," Michelangelo explained, sliding his weapons into his belt.

He picked his cat up and headed for the elevator. Splinter and Leonardo were already in the Battle Shell. Donatello checked the clock again.

"Raph!" he yelled.

"Go on ahead. I'll take the Shell Cycle and meet ya at April and Casey's," Raphael called back.

"Raph, we're late enough as it is," Donatello argued.

Raphael appeared in the doorway of his room.

"No need for all of us to be late. You go, I'll catch up."

Donatello sighed in annoyance and made his way to elevator. He had always been the most even-tempered of the four. It took a lot to get him agitated, and Raphael's behavior was wearing on his nerves. Raphael waited until he heard the elevator hit the warehouse up top. He headed downstairs and made his way to Splinter's room. Before he placed a hand on the door, Raphael looked up. Curse Donatello and his annoying security cameras. Raphael headed for his brother's lab. He was no computer genius, but he had seen Donatello loop cameras before. So, how hard could it be to loop these?

Raphael rummaged through Donatello's desk and found the equipment he needed. He found the connecting wires and placed the small device against the wires. He heard a small click and smiled. It was the sound that accompanied a successful loophole. Raphael headed for Splinter's room again. A purple light slowly faded.

_"I did it again."_

Raphael growled softly and opened the door. He crept into his teacher's room. If he was too late everyone would get suspicious and more than likely someone was bound to come back and look for him. A violet light pierced the darkness. Raphael headed for the main source of the light and pulled out the mirror. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the elevator coming down. He ran out of the room, disconnected the looping device from the security cameras, threw it into Donatello's desk and spun around (mirror held behind his back) as the elevator opened.

"You coming or what?" Leonardo asked, walking into the lair.

Raphael picked up a small cloth bag and dropped the mirror inside.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm comin'," he replied.

"Well, come on. Everyone's waiting," Leonardo said.

The brothers headed out of the lair.

* * *

When Leonardo and Raphael got to the apartment everyone was already eating.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Raph," April greeted.

"Happy Thanksgiving, April," Raphael answered.

He picked up a plate and headed over to where the food was line up like a buffet. He glanced out the window every now and then and saw the tinted windows of the Battle Shell glowing a soft violet. He had left the mirror in the Battle Shell, hoping that it wouldn't be discovered. April's laugh brought the turtle in red back to reality. She was obviously laughing at a joke Michelangelo had said. Casey was trying very hard to keep from inhaling his food. He swallowed with great difficulty and took a drink. Leonardo had his hand over his mouth trying to keep his laughter at bay (and failing miserably). Donatello had his face buried in his hands, his body shaking uncontrollably with laughter. Splinter just shook his head, a smile on his face.

Raphael sighed and turned back to filling his plate. He looked out at the Battle Shell again. Violet had suddenly been replaced with dark red.

"Raphael?"

Raphael swung around. Splinter was looking at him.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," Raphael answered.

He finished getting his food and took his place in the empty seat next to Donatello.

"Donny, ya know it's healthier if you breathe," Raphael commented.

Donatello put his hands down and wiped tears from his eyes. Leonardo chuckled again. Raphael rolled his eyes and shook his head. Tuning out the chatter, he began to eat. His mind drifted back to the Battle Shell, and (in turn) the mirror. He had been anxious one minute and the next...What was dark red supposed to mean?

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The five mutants made themselves scarce while April went to get the door.

"Hi, Miss. O'Neil."

Raphael's eyes widened when he heard the voice.

"Hello. And, you are?" April asked.

"My name's Rea. I've been looking for Raphael, but he's not at home. Then I saw the van parked in the alley and figured that he might be here."

"How do you know Raph?" April asked.

"He saved me from two Purple Dragons a few weeks back," Rea explained. "Is he here? I really need to talk to him."

Raphael slipped out of his hiding place and headed for the door.

"Raphael," Rea chimed.

"Call me Raph. So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Raphael asked.

Rea took the turtle's hand and led him out into the hallway.

"What's this about?" Raphael whispered, closing the door.

"Raphael, you're in danger," Rea announced quietly.

"What danger?" Raphael asked.

Rea took a deep breath as if to try to calm herself down.

"_He_ has broken out," Rea breathed.

"How?"

Rea shrugged.

"I have no idea."

"How do you know he's broken out?" Raphael asked.

"Well, your van was glowing," Rea replied simply.

"Hey, guys, why is the Battle Shell glowing red?" Michelangelo asked.

Raphael and Rea looked at each other. They raced downstairs and out into the alley. Before they got to the Battle Shell, a burst of red energy enveloped the entire block. Red quickly turned to black as the world quietly slipped into a dark void.

* * *

What do you think?

This is not a Thanksgiving story if people are wondering.


	8. Twins

"This is totally unfair."

"Leo? Master Splinter?"

"I mean, what did we do to deserve this?"

"April? Casey?"

"Is it too much to ask to have one normal week?"

"Mikey, if you don't shut your mouth and start looking for a light switch, so help me, I will take apart your gaming system and let you put it back together by yourself," Donatello threatened.

Michelangelo gulped. He frantically began looking for a light switch.

"Here light switch. Here light switch. Come to Mikey."

Donatello rolled his eyes. Leave it to Michelangelo to start talking to inanimate objects. The engineer felt around the dark wall. His fingers brushed up against what felt like wood. He felt around the surface of the wood and came across a handle. Donatello grabbed the handle, twisted it and pushed. Light poured into the small, abandoned room.

"Donny, where are we?" Michelangelo asked.

"Midtown," Donatello replied.

The brothers stepped out into the empty street. Michelangelo turned back to the place where they came from, but it was gone.

"Don, you don't think we were sent to another time, do you?"

"No. This is the same New York. Minus the humans," Donatello answered.

"Yeah. Where _are_ the humans?" Michelangelo wondered.

Sirens suddenly rang out through the silence. Black vans spun around the corner.

"Come on, Mikey. We have to go."

The ninjas ran for the nearest alley. Rapid footsteps echoed behind them. Donatello dashed into a back alley and grabbed his sibling's arm before he ran too far ahead. The brothers held their breath as the black clad men ran past their hiding place.

"And Bishop has his men searching for us, _why_?" Michelangelo whispered.

"Who knows? Since when did Bishop make any sense to us?" Donatello whispered back.

"Good point," Michelangelo agreed.

Donatello began walking again. Michelangelo followed. They walked through the back alleys until their surroundings became more gloomy. Buildings became twisted and warped. Some of them looked like they had recently suffered fires. Donatello and Michelangelo stepped out of the alley and into the street. The charred buildings were like a boundary line.

"Donny, where are we?"

"_His_ domain."

"Who?"

"What?"

"Who's domain?" Michelangelo asked.

"What are you talking about?" Donatello replied.

"A little slow aren't they?"

"How did you do that?" Donatello asked.

"Do what?" Michelangelo asked back.

"It _is_ amusing."

"I didn't know you could throw your voice," Michelangelo said.

"I can't," Donatello answered.

Someone giggled. The brothers turned back to the alley they had come out of. Two figures stood in the shadows. One was holding what looked like a small child.

"Should we introduce ourselves," one of the figures said, his words coming way too fast.

"Why don't you go first?"

"If you insist."

There was a blast of cold air as something shot past Donatello and Michelangelo.

"Oops. Too far."

Michelangelo was thrown to the ground when something slammed into his back.

"Thanks for stopping me."

Donatello's eyes widened.

"M-M-Mikey?"

Michelangelo looked up.

"Dude, since when did I have a twin?" he asked.

"No idea. My name's Dren."

"Dren?" Donatello echoed.

Michelangelo got to his feet and brushed himself off.

"Okay, so, who's your friend who sounds like Don?" he asked.

The second figure stepped into the light.

"Whoa. And I thought two me's were creepy," Michelangelo said.

"My name is Tech," the second purple masked turtle introduced.

"Tech?" Donatello repeated. "Who names their kid 'Tech'?"

"My full name is too long. And, like you, Donatello, I am the tech-turtle."

"So, we just call him Tech," Dren concluded.

"Don't you ever slow down?" Michelangelo asked.

"Nope," Dren replied quickly.

"Natural sugar high," Tech whispered to Donatello.

Donatello nodded in understanding.

"So, why are you so fast?" Michelangelo asked.

"No idea. I guess I was born like it," Dren replied.

"It kinda reminds me of Zippy-lad in the Justice Force," Michelangelo commented.

"You have powers?" Donatello asked Tech.

"I guess you could put it that way," Tech told him. "I have a higher than normal IQ, Dren has super speed. So, yeah, I guess you could say we have special powers."

The child Tech was holding stirred. His eyes slowly opened.

"And who's this little guy?" Donatello asked.

Amber eyes looked up when heard a strange, yet familiar voice.

"You're going to think that we're awful brothers," Dren said sadly.

"Why? What's wrong?" Michelangelo asked.

"We forget our brother's name," Tech replied.

"How can you forget a brother's name?" Donatello wanted to know.

"We used to know. Really, we did. But, when..."

"Don't say it," Dren hissed.

"When..._he_...escaped, our family was the first to suffer his torture chamber," Tech explained.

"Who's 'he'?" Michelangelo asked.

"We don't say his name," Dren answered.

"It's not good for our health," Tech added.

Donatello and Michelangelo looked at each other. Donatello saw a small flicker of humor in his sibling's eyes. The situation reminded him of a movie they used to watch when they were kids. An evil wizard who became so evil no one could speak his name. A ghost of a smile crept across Michelangelo's cautious features. Donatello couldn't help but chuckle. But, the chuckles quickly turned into laughter.

"What's wrong with you, Don?" Michelangelo asked.

Donatello shook his head.

"Nothing, nothing," he answered, sighing. "I just thought of something funny, or rather, strangely similar."

"What is it?" Tech asked.

"This...'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' person. He wouldn't happen to be wizard, would he?" Donatello asked.

Michelangelo coughed to hide a laugh.

"No," Tech replied, confused.

"Okay. Just wanted to make sure. This just reminds me of a movie I saw a few years ago," Donatello explained.

He glanced down at the child in Tech's arms. That's when he noticed that the child was wearing a light blue mask. A small smile lit up the boy's face.

"It looks like your brother's special ability is to make people remember funny experiences," Donatello noted.

Michelangelo tapped his brother on the shoulder.

"I don't like to ruin the happy moment, but we have two missing bros and missing Dad," he pointed out.

"Oh, shell," Donatello groaned.

"We were also looking for our father and brother. Maybe we could team up," Tech suggested.

"It would be more comforting to know someone who knows this new city," Donatello said.

"Come on, then. We'd better get moving before the Foot notice five stray turtles in the middle of their half of New York," Tech instructed.

"Their half?" Michelangelo echoed as the group made their way back into the shadows of the alley.

"The city is divided into two parts: the first half, the half that looks almost brand new, belongs to Bishop. The second half, which we are in, belongs to the Foot," Tech explained.

"Why does this half look like it was burned?" Donatello asked.

Tech sighed. It was clear that he knew too much for his own good.

"I'm not the right person to answer that question, Donatello," Tech whispered.

And the conversation ended with that comment. The small group continued to travel in silence, unaware that they were being followed.

* * *

What do you think?

And no I did not deliberately fashion this chapter after the movie mentioned above. It's obvious, but I did not do it on purpose, it just came out that way.


	9. Patience was a Virtue

_"One night. Is that too much to ask for? One night where we don't have to worry about getting blasted to another dimension or messed up time period. That doesn't seem like too much to ask."_

Normally he wasn't prone to bitter thinking. That was left for Raphael. Unfortunately, he had disappeared along with Michelangelo, Donatello, April, Casey, and Splinter. Leonardo stumbled around in the dark. He had always been the one with perfect balance, so why was it so hard for him to stay on his feet?

"Donny? Mike?"

His voice echoed unnaturally through the never ending darkness.

"April? Casey? Raph?"

He knew no one would answer. Why should they? They had disappeared like the apartment and like the rest of the city.

"Master Splinter?"

"Yes, my son?"

Leonardo jumped and whirled around to face the direction (or what he hoped was the direction) the voice had come from.

"Sensei?"

"Yes, Leonardo?"

"Where are you?"

"Right in front of you."

Leonardo reached out a hand and his fingers touched a furry hand.

"Leonardo, why are you here?" Splinter asked.

"I don't even know where 'here' is," Leonardo answered.

There was the sound of a match being struck. A flame danced from the wick of a candle. Leonardo looked around. April and Casey's apartment had been replaced by a basement apartment that was littered with moving boxes and furniture.

"Where are April and Casey?" Leonardo asked.

"At their apartment," Splinter replied.

He walked over to an old couch and sat down. He placed the candle in a holder.

"There are more candles in the box beside you if you wish to light more," the ninja master explained.

"Why don't we just turn on a light?" Leonardo suggested.

"Because it is safer to light a candle these days," Splinter answered quietly.

Leonardo opened up the box his father had pointed out and looked inside. Four color coded candles lay at the bottom of the box.

"Sensei, I've never seen candles like these before," Leonardo said, holding up the candles.

Splinter smiled sadly.

"The Ancient One made them for us."

"So, where's Raph's?" Leonardo asked, looking down at the purple, grey, orange and blue wax in his hand.

"Raphael's burned out years ago," Splinter whispered, closing his eyes.

"Raph isn't...is he?" Leonardo breathed.

Splinter opened his eyes and looked at his eldest son. Leonardo's eyes shone with fear and horror.

"Has the plague infected you as well?" Splinter asked.

"What plague?"

Splinter didn't answer.

"Sensei, is there something I should know?"

"Yes. Stay hidden."

"Stay hidden?" Leonardo repeated. "What's so dangerous about the city that I can't go out and look for my brothers?"

"The night is no longer our ally, my son. It is best to wait until the sun has risen," Splinter instructed.

Leonardo sighed as he walked over to the holder in which the first candle sat. He placed the wick of each candle he held up to the flame in turn.

"It is better to light and candle than to curse the darkness," Splinter muttered.

"Raph would disagree," Leonardo replied quietly as he set the four colored candles in a holder of their own. "He would go right on ahead and curse the darkness. Then, if it came back to bite him, and only then would he consider lighting a candle."

Splinter smiled.

"Yes. He would do that," he whispered.

Leonardo gazed into the hypnotizing dance of the small flames in front of him. It really wasn't fair. It had been a freak accident, just a burst of energy. Why should only Raphael pay? Leonardo shook his head. No. Raphael was still out there; still alive.

"Master Splinter, where are Don and Mike? Why aren't they here with us?" Leonardo asked suddenly.

"They went to the surface to find food," Splinter answered casually.

Suddenly, the flames on the purple and orange candles swayed violently. There was no wind, and Leonardo realized he had held his breath when the flames flickered. He let it out slowly.

_"Hurry back, guys. I don't know how much longer I can take like this."_

* * *

Everything was silent. The candle flames cast eerie shadows across the dark walls of the small living area. Leonardo closed his eyes and sighed. He couldn't will his brothers to return hard enough. Splinter was kneeling on the floor, obviously meditating. Leonardo was lying on the couch, trying to shut his mind down long enough to get to sleep. The leader pulled out his shell cell and opened it. He opened his tired eyes to read the time. One o'clock in the morning. An agonized moan escaped his throat as he buried his face in the pillow.

"Leonardo, are you sure you are not ill?" Splinter asked, appearing at his son's side.

"Yes, sensei, I'm sure. I'm not sick. I'm just going slowly crazy," Leonardo explained.

Splinter's ears folded back against his head.

"Master Splinter, what's wrong with me? I've never felt this restless before," Leonardo said.

"Perhaps your injuries were more serious than I thought," Splinter whispered.

"Injuries? What injuries?" Leonardo asked. "I haven't been in a fight."

"The night Raphael disappeared, you went out to look for him."

"That sounds a bit like me, I guess. But, you always tell us that we should let Raph be alone for a while after he storms out," Leonardo said.

"I could sense that something was going to happen. So, I sent you out to look for him. You were gone most of the night," Splinter continued.

"'Most of the night'?"

"You came back in the late afternoon."

Leonardo's eyes widened.

"Say what?"

"You had always been the most patient and calm of your brothers."

"Patient? Maybe. Calm? When my brothers are in danger, not so much. You sure you got the right Leonardo?"

"I am sure, my son. You were captured by Bishop."

"That would explain some things, I guess. But, what did he do to me?"

Might as well play along.

"We do not know exactly. But, Donatello found out that most of your injuries were inflicted mentally," Splinter explained.

"Oh," was all Leonardo could manage to say.

"Get some rest, Leonardo. It has been a trying day."

"I won't be able to sleep knowing that my brothers are out there with Bishop on the loose," Leonardo objected.

"Donatello and Michelangelo are quite capable of taking care of themselves. Now, rest. You will feel better in the morning," Splinter instructed.

Leonardo sighed in defeat. There was no way he would win this argument. He turned over on his side, back facing Splinter, and closed his eyes. Unconsiousness came all too quickly for his liking.

* * *

_When had it become so cold? The couch had been replaced with a hard table, the pillow replaced with steel. Leonardo slowly opened his eyes. He wasn't in the apartment anymore, but in a genetics lab. The ninja pushed himself up and rubbed his head. It wasn't like Bishop or Shredder to leave their prisoners strapped down._

_Voices drifted in from the hallway. Leonardo frowned. One of the voices was his own. It sounded completely foreign. It was far too calm, almost to the point of forgiving. The doors opened and two figures walked in. Leonardo's eyes widened when he saw himself (or his twin) walk into the lab. The eldest rubbed his eyes and looked up to see Bishop walk in seconds after._

_"What is going on?" Leonardo thought._

_"You are co-operating a little well," Bishop said. "I had expected a lot more resistance."_

_"Resistance has never been one of my strong points."_

_Leonardo blinked in confusion._

"Since when?"_ he asked himself._

_"Resistance wastes energy and focus."_

_Now it was Bishop's turn to look confused. Leonardo shook his head._

"Okay, Leo, time to wake up. You are obviously dreaming and it you have to wake up."

_The doors opened again. The breath caught in Leonardo's throat. Shredder walked into the lab._

_"Bishop. What is taking so long?"_

_"You had to go and capture the patient one," Bishop muttered._

_"Who did you want? The hyper one?" Shredder asked bitterly._

_Leonardo glanced between Bishop and Shredder. He was just waiting for the tension to snap and for a fight to break out. However, the Foot leader walked over a control panel and pushed a button._

_"I would brace yourself if I were you, Bishop," Shredder said._

_Bishop took the advice. Before Leonardo knew what was going on, the lab disappeared in a burst of dark red energy. He heard his double groan._

_"So much for patience," Shredder said._

"Leo?"

Leonardo's eyes shot open. He was lying on his back, staring up into worried brown eyes.

"Donny?"

"Sorry to wake you up so early, bro. But Master Splinter said you weren't feeling well," Donatello whispered.

"I'm fine," Leonardo breathed, placing his hand over his eyes. "But my patience isn't."

There was a short silence.

"When did you get back?" Leonardo asked, looking up.

"Get back? Leo, me and Mikey have been lost in New York for almost five hours," Donatello replied.

"Splinter said you two had gone to get food supplies."

"Uh, yeah. Our twins did. Me and Mike ended up in an abandoned building after April and Casey's apartment disappeared," Donatello explained.

"What do you mean 'twins'?" Leonardo asked.

"He's a little slow, isn't he?"

"Mikey?"

"Nope. That's Dren. Mikey's helping Tech put their brother to bed. He kinda reminds me of you, Leo."

"Dren? Tech? Where the heck are we?" Leonardo asked.

Donatello shrugged.

"Wherever we are, we got split in two," he informed.

"Then that means Bishop still has my double," Leonardo realized. "That's why Master Splinter has been asking me if I've been feeling all right."

"And that's why we woke you up," Dren said. "We were hoping you could tell us where our brother is."

"How would I know?" Leonardo asked.

"Lil' bro has a weird sense of what people are dreaming," Dren answered.

Leonardo slapped his hand over his eyes again.

"You know we still have to find Raph, right?"

"I don't think we'll be finding him anytime soon," Donatello confessed.

"He's still alive, Don," Leonardo whispered. "As long as he's with Rea, he's alive."

* * *

I'm filling up space. I know I am. I'm sorry if you feel that way as well, but I've had a lot of stuff on my mind lately.

Let me know what you think and what I can do to improve in future chapters.


	10. Return

A dull, throbbing pain slowly broke through the darkness. He was semi-conscious of a strange presence hovering close to him.

"Okay, he should've woken up by now."

"Maybe he's in a coma and _can't_ wake up."

"Settle down. He is waking up now."

Raphael groaned in pain. He slowly lifted his hand to rub his aching head. His eyes flickered open. Three blurry figures were standing over him. Two were human, the other was a mutant.

"Will you wake up already?"

"Shut up, Tyler."

"Easy, Rea," Raphael hissed.

"Sorry," Rea apologized in a whisper.

Raphael forced his clouded eyes to focus. Rea, Tyler and Leatherhead looked down at him with worried and relieved expressions.

"How are you feeling, Raphael?" Leatherhead asked.

"Sore," Raphael groaned. "What happened?"

"Something happened. He escaped...I don't know what happened to your family," Rea explained quickly.

Raphael shot up into a sitting position.

"What?"

Rea fell back.

"Raphael, calm down. It is no one's fault. It is unfortunate that your brothers and Master Splinter were caught in the crossfire, but they are safe," Leatherhead assured the panicked turtle.

"I say we go out there, find...whatever his name is...and put him back in prison," Tyler voiced.

"How?" Rea asked.

"Duh, we fight," Tyler replied.

"He'd mop the floor with you and you know it. Be reasonable. You can't pick a fight with someone you know absolutely nothing about," Rea explained, crossing her arms.

"And all of a sudden you're the team leader? Who died and put you in charge?" Tyler asked.

Rea looked away, a pained look on her face.

"Tyler," Leatherhead scowled.

"What?" Tyler asked.

Raphael got up off the bed and walked over to Rea. Leatherhead hit Tyler in the back of the head with his tail.

"Rea, you okay?" Raphael asked.

"I'm fine," Rea answered, quickly wiping tears from her eyes. "We have more important things to worry about. Like finding your family."

Raphael examined the young girl. Her skin was pale and cold. Dark shadows under her eyes highlighted sleepless nights. She was also thinner.

"Rea, Tyler, go pack some things," Leatherhead instructed. "Bishop will be at the door in less than an hour. You have to be ready to leave."

The humans left the room and headed out towards the kitchen.

"LH, what's wrong with Rea?" Raphael whispered.

"You came back during difficult times, Raphael. We have already lost a vital member of the Resistance," Leatherhead explained in a low voice.

"Who?" Raphael asked.

There was a short pause.

"Leonardo," Leatherhead answered.

"Leo?" Raphael breathed. "No. Leo's fine. I saw him before this mess happened. He was fine."

"He has been in Agent Bishop's clutches for almost a week," the crocodile replied.

Raphael shook his head in denial.

"Leo, like Don, Mike, and Splinter, is fine. End of story."

"Raphael..."

Raphael stormed out of the room before Leatherhead could say anything else. He found Rea and Tyler arguing in the kitchen. Three backpacks sat on the small table.

"You can't expect to live off of chips and soda for the rest of your life," Rea said.

"Why not? It's food and drink," Tyler pointed out.

"It has no nutritional value whatsoever," Rea protested.

Raphael walked up to the table and reached into one of the bags. He pulled out a bag of chips.

"I'd listen to Rea if I were you, Ty."

Rea and Tyler looked over at Raphael.

"You don't know how long we'll be roamin' around the city and you'd be pretty sick of chips and soda after a while."

Rea smiled triumphantly. Tyler grumbled as he packed more (healthier) food. Leatherhead walked into the kitchen. He held out a piece of paper to Raphael.

"This is the address of the safe house you'll be staying in until the situation has settled down."

"We're not gonna fight?" Tyler asked.

"No. You are not going to fight," Leatherhead replied.

"Aw, man," Tyler whined. "I don't wanna sit around a boring safe house all the time."

"You'll live longer," Raphael muttered, taking the paper from Leatherhead.

"Leatherhead gets to fight," Tyler pointed out.

"He knows how to fight. Plus, he's not a kid," Rea put in.

"Mouth shut, Tyler," Raphael instructed before Tyler could speak.

The boy closed his mouth and crossed his arms. Raphael folded the paper with the safe house address on it and put it inside his backpack. He began packing things into his backpack. Every now and then, he noticed Rea wrap her arm around her stomach.

"You okay?" Raphael asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Rea replied, smiling weakly.

Raphael opened the cupboard and took out a box of cereal. Rea watched as he pulled out a bowl and poured the cereal into it. Raphael opened a drawer and took out a spoon. He placed it in the bowl and handed it to Rea, who took it with unsteady hands.

"You have to eat something. It's not healthy to run on an empty stomach," Raphael explained.

Rea began to slowly eat the cereal. Her face twisted in pain whenever she swallowed. Raphael placed a glass of juice on the counter in front of the young girl.

"Raphael, may I speak to you for a moment?" Leatherhead asked.

Raphael hestitantly left Rea's side and headed into the bedroom. He closed the door behind him.

"What's this about?"

"It is about Rea."

"What's wrong with her?" Raphael asked.

A sad smile crossed Leatherhead's tired features.

"I see that she has become precious to you," the croc noted.

"What does that have to do with her health?" Raphael wanted to know.

"You have noticed."

"You'd have to be _blind_ not to notice. Rea's a mess. When was the last time she ate?"

"I do not know. Her health has been deminishing ever since she escaped the Foot," Leatherhead explained.

There was a short moment of silence.

"Come again?"

"Rea had been the first prisoner of the Foot. When her oldest and dearest friend, her...brother...fell, she could not get away fast enough," Leatherhead explained.

"_Shredder_ did this to her?" Raphael whispered.

There was a crash. Raphael opened the door. Rea was just disappearing into the spare bedroom. The glass and bowl lay in pieces on the floor. Raphael went after Rea while Leatherhead cleaned up the mess.

"Rea? I'm sorry. I didn't know you were listening."

Raphael carefully opened the bedroom door. Rea was sitting on the floor, her face buried in her folded arms. Violent sobs shook her fragile form. Raphael walked over to her and sat down.

"Rea, I'm really, _really_ sorry," he apologized again.

Rea leaned into Raphael's chest. The turtle wrapped his arms around her. He didn't know what to do. This wasn't his department. His brothers were better at this than he was. Raphael carefully rubbed Rea's back. After a while, the sobs subsided and Rea took a deep, shaky breath.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"S'not your fault," Raphael replied.

"I shouldn't have reacted like that," Rea said.

"I shouldn't have talked about it," Raphael put in.

"It's just that...it's a touchy subject for me. But, you have the right to know."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with you always asking me if I'm from Brooklyn, would it?" Raphael asked.

"It has everything to do with that," Rea replied.

"That's all I need to know," Raphael said.

* * *

The small apartment was silent, safe for the ticking of the clock in the kitchen. Raphael paced slowly around the living room. He was supposed to be resting, but his thoughts wouldn't slow down enough for sleep to take over. The main one was Rea. Raphael rubbed his tired eyes.

_"Raphael, you have known the girl for only two weeks and already she has softened you."_

Raphael stopped pacing. That had not been his thought.

"Raphael?"

The turtle turned towards the door. Leatherhead walked up.

"I know. I know. I'm supposed to be asleep," Raphael said, reading the intended lecture in his friend's eyes.

"You will need your strength," Leatherhead added.

"I can run without sleep. Besides, I don't think my mind _wants_ me to rest," Raphael confessed.

"If you only knew," Leatherhead muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, Raphael."

Raphael frowned. Leatherhead went over to where the backpacks lay and put some last minute additions to each bag.

"So, why are we running seconds before Bishop gets here?" Raphael asked, sitting down on the tattered couch.

"I do not know if Bishop knows for certain where we are," Leatherhead answered, zipping the bags up.

Raphael leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Leatherhead's packing slowly molded with the sound of the ticking clock. He must have fallen asleep because he was abruptly awakened by a frantic Rea.

"Will you get a move on already?" she hissed.

She grabbed her bag and ran after Tyler and Leatherhead. Raphael got to his feet, grabbed his own bag and followed. Leatherhead was just opening a trap door when Raphael arrived.

"I still say you should let us fight," Tyler said.

"This is not the time, Tyler," Leatherhead growled.

Tyler muttered something before jumping through the hole. Rea gave Leatherhead a hug before disappearing into the darkness.

"Thanks for everything, LH," Raphael said.

"No. Thank _you_, my friend," Leatherhead replied.

"I've hardly done anything worth thanking."

"Your return has brought back hope."

"Raph, come on," Rea called.

The silence was pierced by sirens.

"Bishop has arrived," Leatherhead announced.

Raphael looked back at the front door.

"He is not concern. Find the safe house and stay there until someone comes to get you," Leatherhead instructed.

He held out his hand. Raphael turned around and grasped his friend's hand.

"Take care of them, my friend."

"Take care of yourself."

Leatherhead smiled. Raphael smiled back. He jumped down into the darkness. His feet landed in a familiar liquid.

"The sewers. Shoulda known this would our escape route," Raphael muttered.

The tunnel was left in complete darkness as the panel was replaced across the opening. Raphael reached into his bag and pulled out a flashlight. Rea and Tyler did the same.

"Which way?" Tyler asked.

"No idea. But, let's get walking before Bishop and his goons find that trap door," Raphael suggested.

The three friends began walking. The sounds of a fight drifted further and further away.

* * *

What do you think?


	11. Life Lessons with Love

The sewer tunnels echoed with deafening silence. The only sound came from three pairs of feet hitting the concrete sidewalk. Tyler tried to hide a yawn, but failed.

"We need to get topside," Raphael said.

"We need to get to a bed," Tyler corrected.

"You'll find a bed topside," Raphael pointed out.

He shone his flashlight around the tunnel. The beam fell up on a ladder.

"Looks like our ticket out of here."

The group made their way over to the ladder. Raphael made his way up first and pushed the cover away from the manhole. Twilight cast eerie shadows across the charred buildings. Raphael pulled himself out of the hole and helped Rea and Tyler out. After he replaced the cover, Raphael took out the paper with the safe house address on it.

"Anyone see a street name?" Raphael asked.

"Does Atlencher Alley count?" Tyler asked.

Raphael shoved the paper back into his bag, swung it over his shoulder and disappeared into the growing shadows of the alley. Rea and Tyler followed.

* * *

The sun slowly set over a once again silent New York. Raphael, Tyler and Rea walked through the back alleys, keeping out of sight of Bishop's patrol vans.

"Bishop ain't gonna give up, is he?" Raphael asked as another black van drove by.

Rea shook her head.

"Nope," she replied.

Raphael sighed. He began walking again. Rea followed like a second shadow. The companions continued their journey until the street lamps flickered on.

"So, where is this 'safe house' that Leatherhead told us about?" Tyler asked.

"We should be close," Rea replied.

She took the lead; searching for a door or a window that would indicate the presence of a shelter. While Rea searched, Raphael strolled aimlessly around the alley. This place suddenly seemed very familiar to him. He had come into this alley once before while running away from an angry mob who thought he was an invading alien. Raphael sighed. Those were the days. He didn't have to worry about salvaging dignity or rebuilding the walls he had worked so hard to put up to keep the disappointments of life out.

"Oh, good. You found it."

Raphael shook his head, clearing it of useless thoughts and turned to see Rea skipping up to a door. Raphael knew who would answer even before the door opened.

"Whose there?"

"Mrs. Marson?" Raphael asked.

"Raphael? My goodness, dear, it is so nice to hear your voice," Mrs. Marson said.

"It's good to see you, too," Raphael greeted.

"Come in, come in. It is a little bit chilly tonight," Mrs. Marson noted.

Raphael stepped inside the small apartment. It was just as he had remembered it. Rea came in behind him and ran over to the couch where Lucy, Mrs. Marson's cat, lay. Tyler dropped his bag and headed for the washroom.

"How have you been doing these last few months, Raphael?" Mrs. Marson asked.

"I've been doin' okay," Raphael replied.

"There is something in your voice that troubles me," the older woman spoke.

"Which is?"

"You sound...broken."

"Broken?"

That was one word Raphael hated to be associated with. He was the strongest of his brothers. The strongest and the bravest. It was unacceptable for him to show any kind of weakness. Let alone show that he was "broken".

"Mrs. M. I ain't broken," Raphael whispered.

"Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell, I suppose," Mrs. Marson said softly. "But, you do sound somewhat beaten. You have not lost anything or anyone, have you?"

"Just my sanity," Raphael muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothin', ma'am."

Raphael turned away from Mrs. Marson and walked around the small living room area. He didn't need a human to tell him he had problems. He had his family for that. Raphael felt a strange pain in his chest. He suddenly realized there were a thousand different places he would rather be than here with three humans.

"Dinner is ready."

Raphael turned around to see Tyler, Mrs. Marson and Rea already sitting at the small table. In the dim light the older woman's hair shone with a faint hint of pink. Grey and pink were the last colors anyone would dye their hair with.

"Come and sit, Raphael," Rea invited.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Raph?" Raphael asked as he made his way over to the table.

"Yes. But, I like how your full name sounds," Rea explained cheerfully.

"You are _way_ too cheery for a fourteen-year-old," Raphael told her as he sat down.

"Just because _you_ were a sour grape at my age doesn't mean _I_ have to be one," Rea informed.

Mrs. Marson laughed light-heartedly. Raphael sighed and rubbed his eyes.

_"Humans."_

* * *

"Alright, children, time for bed."

"Wait. What? We're _staying_ here?" Tyler complained.

"Of course, Tyler. Day time is the safest time to travel. Especially for you."

Tyler growled. Why was it that _he_ was stuck with the rotten luck?

"If I didn't know any better, Ty, I'd say you didn't _want_ to stay here," Rea voiced.

"Nonsense, Rea. This is a safe house. There are not many of those around these days," Mrs. Marson explained. "And, besides, you three have been traveling all day. You are tired and irritable. You will all feel better in the morning after a good night's rest."

Rea and Tyler were hurried off to the guest bedroom while Raphael remained in the living room. Lucy was curled up in his lap, purring happily as her ears were rubbed.

"Raphael?"

"Hmm?"

"Have I said something to hurt you?" Mrs. Marson asked.

"You can't hurt me any more than what I already am," Raphael told her.

"Who hurt you, dear?"

"Why do you think someone hurt me?"

"Rea, go back to bed. I know someone hurt you," Mrs. Marson replied as Rea ducked back into the room and closed the door.

"Oh yeah? Who?" Raphael asked.

"I do not know who, but I know someone did. And it has happened recently."

Raphael just shook his head. Mrs. Marson sat down beside him. It was amazing that she didn't trip over anything. Of course she had been blind for more than a year, so she was probably used to getting around.

"No one hurt me," Raphael objected.

"Oh, I am not talking about those around you," Mrs. Marson admitted.

Raphael looked up.

"Then, who..."

"I am talking about you."

Raphael felt heat rise in his chest. Mrs. Marson's eyes grew sad. The heat quickly faded.

"Mrs. M. why would you say that?" Raphael asked quietly.

"I hear it in your voice. Your tone unwillingly confesses that you have hurt yourself," Mrs. Marson explained.

Raphael swallowed. How had he hurt himself without doing anything?

"I am not talking about physically, of course," Mrs. Marson continued.

"You're talkin' about mentally," Raphael finished.

"No, not that either. I'm talking about emotionally."

"Of course."

"Raphael, keeping such powerful emotions locked up isn't healthy," Mrs. Marson explained.

"You sound like my father," Raphael snapped.

Lucy hissed. Mrs. Marson picked her cat up and stroked the fine white fur.

"In my life there's no use for emotion," Raphael grumbled.

"Probably not," Mrs. Marson agreed. "However, there are some emotions that slip out in our actions."

Raphael cast a side ways glance at the hostess.

"Such as?" he asked.

"Anger, jealousy, hatred. Not nice ones at all," Mrs. Marson replied.

"Do you think I'm a bad...person?" Raphael asked.

"You are far from evil in anyway, Raphael," Mrs. Marson encouraged.

"Then, why are you saying that?" Raphael wanted to know.

"You have been silent all evening. I take that as the sign that you have no wish to stay in the presence of humans," Mrs. Marson explained.

Raphael frowned at the woman's words. He looked into Mrs. Marson's eyes. They were no longer distant, but focused.

"I thought you were blind," the mutant whispered.

"Yes, a lot of people do think that, nowadays," Mrs. Marson thought out loud, a smile crossing her face.

"I don't get it."

"Raphael, you know better than anyone that anger can blind you."

"Yes, but...what does that have to with you not being blind?" Raphael asked.

"Other than anger and hatred, there are more silent emotions that slip out into our actions," Mrs. Marson continued, as if she hadn't heard the question.

"And they are?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

Raphael blinked. How was he supposed to know what she was talking about? Seeing her friend's discomfort, Mrs. Marson continued.

"You probably don't like humans on the best of days, even though you have friends who are human."

"April, Casey, Angel and Tyler," Raphael listed. "And you."

"What about Rea?" Mrs. Marson asked.

Raphael didn't answer. Mrs. Marson smiled.

"You think of her in a deeper way."

"More like a little sister."

"Fair enough. However, no matter how many human friends you make there will always be more human enemies. So, why do you continually save people when you know what their reaction will be when they see you?"

Raphael shrugged.

"It's what I was trained to do. Protect the innocent, that sort of thing," he replied.

"Or maybe you have other people in mind," Mrs. Marson offered.

"You're talkin' about family, aren't you?" Raphael guessed.

"Very good," Mrs. Marson replied.

"What does my family have to do with anythin'?"

"You fight to keep your brothers safe. Why?"

It wasn't a hard question. The answer was plain and simple. So, why was it so hard for him to find his voice?

"I don't see anythin' signficant," he managed to whisper.

"You don't like to admit it, but you keep fighting crime because you love them," Mrs. Marson explained.

Raphael looked into the woman's eyes.

"I thought love was blind," he confessed.

Mrs. Marson laughed.

"It depends on what kind of love. You would be thinking about puppy-love."

"What love are you thinkin' about?"

"Something deeper."

"Deeper? How deep?"

"What would you do for your family?" Mrs. Marson asked.

"Anything," Raphael answered immediately.

"Anything?" Mrs. Marson echoed. "You would give anything for your brothers and father?"

"Until it hurt," Raphael added.

Mrs. Marson smiled warmly.

"_That_ is the love I'm talking about."

"What love?" Raphael asked.

"Agape Love," Mrs. Marson replied.

"What love?"

"Agape Love is when you will give anything for someone, even if it hurts."

"How did this conversation start?" Raphael asked.

Mrs. Marson couldn't help but laugh again.

"I don't see what's so funny."

"This conversation started without you knowing it. Rea was telling me how concerned you were for her health," Mrs. Marson said.

"She grows on ya," Raphael said softly.

"Yes. And I see the same passionate fire in your eyes that is dedicated to Rea's safety as well as your brothers," Mrs. Marson explained.

"Mrs. M. do you...do you know who...who..."

"Who hurt Rea? Yes, I do know".

"Who was it?"

"It was her twin brother."

* * *

What do you think?


	12. Origin Story pt 1

A/N:_ Italics_- flashback

* * *

Time seemed to stand still.

"Raphael? Breathe, dear."

Raphael took in a shaky breath. He blinked to refocus his eyes.

"Wh-what do you mean...her _brother_..."

He couldn't even manage to finish the sentence. Mrs. Marson nodded slowly.

"Yes. I know how you feel. It broke my heart when Leatherhead brought her here. To see such a beautiful girl treated so poorly."

"Where is he?"

Mrs. Marson looked at Raphael with shocked eyes. His voice was deeper, darker.

"That is one battle you would not live to tell," Mrs. Marson said.

"The monster who almost destroyed a family member should be locked away for life," Raphael growled.

Lucy jumped off of her owner's lap and dashed towards the door. The cat perched herself by the door and waited. Her ears tuned to the noises outside.

"What's with her?" Raphael asked.

"Agent Bishop has somehow managed to track the aura of a person," Mrs. Marson explained. "Lucy is listening for anything that might suggest that he is on his way here."

"I set her off, didn't I?" Raphael asked. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't've acted like that."

"It is second nature for you to be protective," Mrs. Marson replied.

Raphael sighed and leaned back into the couch.

"You want to know the whole story, don't you?"

"I've become an open book, haven't I?"

"More or less."

"Yeah, I _do_ want to know the whole story," Raphael answered.

"There are some parts that you have to hear from Rea herself, like before she lost her brother," Mrs. Marson said.

"She'll tell me when she's ready."

"Well, as you already know, Rea and her brother lived in Brooklyn for most of their lives. Their parents were killed in a plane crash. So, they went to live with their aunt and uncle."

"How old were they?" Raphael asked.

"Twelve," Mrs. Marson replied. "Too young to have something so tragic happen. Rea was badly shaken by the news, but not nearly as bad as her brother, Ralph. He had always been a live wire. Shortest temper in all of New York state."

"I'd like to meet 'im. Pretty sure he could give me a run for my money," Raphael joked.

Mrs. Marson laughed.

"I'm pretty sure he could," she agreed. "However, after a couple of years he was able to keep it under control."

"So, what happened for him go psycho?" Raphael asked.

"Their aunt and uncle were killed in a fire which was set off intentionally by a street gang," Mrs. Marson explained.

"Sounds kinda like Casey's history with the Purple Dragons," Raphael commented.

"Another thing you have to understand about Ralph is that he was troubled teenager," Mrs. Marson continued.

"How troubled?"

"He made that mirror Rea gave you."

Raphael's eyes widened.

"Say what?"

"He was in to black magic," came a small voice.

Mrs. Marson and Raphael looked towards the bedroom door. Rea stood in the doorway. Her nightgown hung loosely around her thin shoulders. Her brown eyes glistened with tears.

"I told him that it was a waste of time. That it wouldn't solve anything. That it would just make things worse. But did he listen? No. He just wanted to get back at the world for taking his family away."

Rea squeezed her eyes shut. Tears streamed down her pales cheeks. Raphael got to his feet and walked over to Rea. He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face into Raphael's plastron. Beneath the fabric of the nightgown, Raphael could feel a feverish burn to Rea's skin. He knelt down and Rea wrapped her arms around his neck. The heat intensified.

_"Is that coming from Rea or me?"_ Raphael asked himself.

_Suddenly, he found himself in a beaten down orphanage bedroom. Two young teenagers occupied the small room._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"What does it look like?"_

_"You're not reading that stupid book again, are you?"_

_"I don't see you doin' anythin' to help, Rea."_

_Raphael blinked. The kid had a strong accent._

_"Ralph, that book has done nothing but cause us grief," Rea replied. "How do you know _you_ didn't cause that fire?"_

_"Don't you _dare_ accuse me of that!" Ralph yelled, shooting to his feet and facing off against his sister._

_"I'm only stating a fact," Rea told her brother._

_"Then go state facts elsewhere," Ralph ordered._

_"I'm worried about you. You've been obsessed with that book. It's not healthy," Rea reasoned._

_Ralph ignored his sister and sat back down in front of a black, leather bound book. The empty body of a hand mirror sat on top of the pages. __Rea swallowed._

_"Ralph?"_

_"You'll see I was right when the people who crashed Mom and Dad's plane are locked away for life," Ralph muttered._

_A shiver shot down Raphael's spine. The venom in the boy's voice reminded the ninja of himself._

_"I believe it's only fair I should give you a warning," Rea said quietly._

_"And that is?"_

_"Nothing good will come of it, brother. You'll only end up destroying the people you have sworn to protect."_

_"Whatever," Ralph muttered._

_Rea turned and headed for the door. Before she left, she turned to look at her brother's back._

_"You can't say I didn't warn you."_

Raphael's eyes opened. He still held Rea in his arms. Her breathing had evened out, meaning that she had fallen asleep. Raphael put his left arm under Rea's legs and lifted her up into his arms. Mrs. Marson smiled as she watched Raphael bring Rea into the bedroom. A few minutes later, he came back out.

"Rea is lucky to have met you, Raphael."

"I just keep reminding her of her brother."

"Yes, there are some similarities between the two of you," Mrs. Marson agreed.

Lucy left her post by the door and joined her owner on the couch.

"I take it Bishop isn't coming," Raphael guessed.

"Not tonight," Mrs. Marson replied. "Which means there is no reason for any of us to be up at this late hour. It's time for bed."

"Yes, ma'am. Good night."

"Good night, Raphael."

Raphael made his way back into the guest bedroom. Tyler was fighting in his sleep and muttering insults at whoever he was fighting. Raphael sat down on the spare bed and stretched. The belt groaned from being stretched against its will. Raphael climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over his body. Already he missed his hammock. A low moan came from the direction of Rea's bed. Raphael closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would quickly take over. But, even in sleep he couldn't escape the cold, venomous voice of Rea's brother.

* * *

What do you think?


	13. Rescue

Night had always been a friend. It had offered protection from human eyes, escape from an overwhelming battle. Now, it housed a breeding ground for disaster. Five shadows raced across the rooftops. They left the charred buildings behind and jumped down into the first alley that belonged to Bishop's half of the city.

"All we have to do is find a patrol van, high-jack it and slip into Bishop's base."

"Easier said than done, Don."

"What do you mean, Mikey?"

"Well, Leo, we almost always get found out before we can even make it to the base," Michelangelo explained.

"Well, we're about to find out because here comes a patrol van now," Tech announced.

"You know what to do, Dren," Leonardo said.

Dren became an orange and green blur. Seconds later, tires screeched and the sounds of a struggle filled the air. Dren came back and dumped two humans on the ground.

"The van's all ours," he said.

The turtles made their way inside the van. Donatello took the driver's seat. His hand went instinctively to the ignition, only to find that there was no ignition.

"Now, how does one start this thing?" he asked.

"What does this button do?" Michelangelo wondered out loud, pointing to button that was under a clear plastic case.

He flipped the case up. Leonardo and Tech looked at each other before buckling themselves in. No sooner had they snapped the seat belt into the buckle that the van gave a mighty jerk and everyone was thrown back into their seats. Donatello managed to stablize the van enough to slow it down to a sensible speed.

"Mikey, what did I tell you about pushing unknown buttons?"

Michelangelo pushed himself up off the floor with a groan.

"That it was bad for everyone's health?" he guessed.

"Let's do that again," Dren cheered.

"Lil' Blue would've loved that," Tech said.

"Lil' Blue?" Leonardo echoed.

"Our little brother. We forget his name so we just call him Lil' Blue," Tech explained.

"He looks like you, Leo," Donatello put in. "Only he has Raph's eyes."

Just then, the radio turned on.

"Patrol Unit Delta, what's your position?"

The ninjas fell silent.

"Patrol Unit Delta, what's your position?"

Tech picked up the radio and pressed the button to speak.

"We are on the border line. We just apprehended the Turtles."

"Why didn't you call for backup?" the voice on the other end demanded.

"They weren't too much trouble. Went down without much of a fight," Tech explained, his voice deepening with each word.

"As long as they aren't seriously injured bring them to the base."

"Copy that. Over and out."

Tech turned off the radio and breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was amazing," Donatello commented.

"It was nothing," Tech countered.

"Where did you learn to disguise your voice?" Leonardo asked.

"I taught myself how to do it. When you've been hunted for your entire life you tend to learn different skills to survive," Tech explained.

"Speaking of survival skills, we're here," Dren announced.

The base loomed a short distance away. Donatello slowed the van down to a crawl, which instantly made Dren anxious. He bounced in his seat as if the motion would make the vehicle go faster.

"So, what's the plan now?" Donatello asked.

"We park the van, get in, find our brother and get out," Tech replied.

"Take no prisoners," Leonardo commented.

Donatello swallowed hard as he drove into the underground parking lot. He found a secluded parking space and parked the van. The group got out of the van and headed inside. No one noticed the security camera focus in on their arrival.

* * *

The base was crawling with black ops.

"Anyone get the feeling that they were expecting us?" Leonardo whispered.

"We have to find Cal," Tech hissed.

"Cal?" Leonardo echoed silently.

"Our eldest brother. Your double," Dren breathed.

"Do you know where he is, Leo?" Donatello asked.

"I think so."

"Then, lead the way, bro," Michelangelo put in.

Leonardo started down the hall. The others followed close behind. In the control room, Bishop slowly shook his head as he watched the monitors.

"When will these mutants ever learn?" he asked himself.

"What would you have us do, sir?"

"Let them find their friend. But, don't make it easy for them. I don't want them to know that we're on to them," Bishop instructed.

"Yes, sir."

Bishop walked out of the control room. Seconds later a computerized voice yelled out, "Intruder Alert". The group had just reached the lab when the alarm went off. They heard rapid footsteps coming up the hall.

"Tech, Dren, get your brother. Me, Don and Mike will hold them off," Leonardo instructed.

He pulled out his swords and leaped into battle. Michelangelo and Donatello followed his lead. Tech touched the lab doors and they slid open. Dren was inside the room and over to the table in a flash. When Tech arrived, Dren was pulling a semi-conscious Cal off the lab table.

"Cal, can you hear me?"

Cal groaned. His eyes slowly opened.

"Dude, what has Bishop done to you?" Dren asked.

"Not Bishop," Cal whispered.

Tech's eyes widened in fear.

"Don't tell me he's here."

"What's goin' on in there?" Leonardo called.

Cal frowned in confusion.

"Who was that? And why does he sound like me?"

"We'll explain later. Right now, we have to get you out of here," Tech explained.

He helped his brother to his feet and headed for the door. The hall was littered with unconscious soldiers. Some belonged to Bishop, others belonged to the Foot.

"Let's get out of here before more show up," Leonardo instructed.

He sheathed his swords and headed down the hall without looking over his shoulder. He could feel the confusion in the gaze that focused on his back. The turtles made their way down to the underground parking lot. They got into the high-jacked van. Donatello started the engine and drove out of the base.

"Someone mind explaining to me what is going on?" Cal asked.

"And you used to be the patient one," Dren muttered.

"Shredder did something to me," Cal snapped.

"I know," Leonardo replied softly. "I saw the whole thing."

"How?" Michelangelo asked.

"A vision, I guess," Leonardo answered with a shrug.

The group fell into an awkward silence. Cal turned to his brothers.

"How are Master Splinter and Lil' Blue?" he asked.

"Fine. LB didn't like being left behind though," Dren replied.

"Suppose not," Cal agreed.

Donatello looked at the three siblings in the rear-view mirror. It was strange not seeing red among the blue, purple and orange. A low sigh escaped unwillingly.

_"Raph, where are you?"_ Donatello asked silently.

* * *

I don't know why, but this chapter was somewhat painful to write. I had to force myself to finish it.

Anyway, let me know what you think. And if you have any ideas on how I can improve, please let me know.


	14. Captured

The quiet of the small apartment was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Raphael groaned and covered his head with his pillow. He was drifting off again when someone shook him violently.

"Yo, Raph. Wake up, dude."

"Go away, bonehead."

"C'mon, Raphie."

"Why did I know that _you_ were the one who would be comin' for us?" Raphael growled.

"Don't make me use the fog horn," Casey threatened.

"That's the worst you can do?" Raphael taunted, without looking up.

"Raph, if you don't get your shell out of bed Bishop will be on top of you in a second," Casey said.

"Does Bishop even _know_ where we are?" Raphael asked, finally looking up at his human friend.

Casey grabbed the blankets and pulled them off. It effectively got Raphael out of bed. The turtle landed on his back. He growled as he glared up at Casey. There was something slightly different about the vigilante.

"Move. Now."

Casey walked out of the room. Raphael sighed as he untangled his legs from the sheets. He got to his feet and headed out of the room.

"You do know that Casey was lying about Bishop, right?" Rea asked, coming out of the bathroom.

"I know. But, what has Casey in a sour mood?" Raphael questioned.

"He's always like that, nowadays," Rea answered. "Mostly because April wants to postpone the wedding until everything settles down. But, Casey wants to keep the original date."

"It's only common sense to wait until things settle down," Raphael commented.

"That's what April always says," Rea admitted.

"Rea, are you turning my best friend against me?" Casey asked.

"She ain't turnin' me against anyone," Raphael snapped.

Lucy hissed from her spot by the front door. The apartment fell silent.

"If we keep fighting Bishop _will_ know where we are," Rea said.

"I thought Bishop knew where everyone is," Raphael replied.

"Nope. Just us. Or...just you, anyway," Rea answered.

"So, I've heard."

"Breakfast is ready," Mrs. Marson announced.

Tyler jumped up from his spot on the couch where he was reading a comic book and dashed over to the table. Raphael, Rea and Casey joined Tyler and Mrs. Marson at the table. The small group fell into a comfortable silence again. Every now and then, Raphael found himself glancing over at Rea. She just poked the food with her fork.

"Rea, will you stop being a baby and eat already?" Casey asked.

"M'not hungry," Rea muttered.

"You never seem to be hungry," Tyler put in.

"Lay off, guys," Raphael ordered.

Tyler and Casey looked at him with disbelieving eyes.

"Taking on the role of father figure, are ya, Raph?" Casey teased.

"I said, lay off," Raphael repeated. "Now, shut it if you know what's good for ya."

Rea glanced over at Lucy. The little white cat sat as still as a statue. Her tail swayed back and forth, her ears perked up in the direction of the door listening for anything that sounded like danger.

"If we keep fighting Bishop will be on our doorstep in a heartbeat," Mrs. Marson said.

"He's already gettin' close," Casey added. "The last report that came in, he was half way here."

"Then, that means he's too close for comfort, now," Raphael put in.

"After breakfast, you children should go and pack. Be sure to take plenty of food," Mrs. Marson instructed.

"I'll go pack, now," Rea said.

She got up from the table and disappeared into the guest bedroom. A few seconds later, Lucy sprang to her feet, arched her back and hissed. Her snow white hair stood up on end. Raphael was on his feet in a flash. He was at the door even faster. Multiple sets of footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the alley outside.

"We have to go, now," Raphael hissed.

He grabbed Tyler and dragged him into the bedroom. He closed the door and locked it.

"How much time do we have?" Rea asked.

There was a loud bang at the door. The three friends stiffened. They heard the front door open.

"May I help you?" they heard Mrs. Marson ask.

"You have three fugitives somewhere in this apartment and we have come to take them off your hands."

"The only person in this apartment, besides myself, is my friend Casey Jones. He drops by every now and then for a visit," Mrs. Marson explained pleasantly.

"Then, you wouldn't mind if we searched the place."

If he wasn't already cold-blooded Raphael was sure that his blood would've run cold.

"We have to get out of here," he breathed as he searched the room for a possible escape.

Then, he spotted a hatch in the ceiling.

"Tyler, if I lift you up, do you think you can reach that hatch?" Raphael whispered.

Tyler looked up. He wasn't keen on running away again. He would much rather fight. But, nonetheless, he nodded. Raphael picked the human boy up and lifted him up as high as his arms could reach. Tyler reached up and opened the hatch as quietly as he could.

"What's in here?"

Raphael almost dropped Tyler when he heard the haunting voice of Bishop at the door. Tyler and Rea went rigid. The recklessness faded from Tyler's features.

"That's the door that leads next door. They always keep it locked," Mrs. Marson explained.

"Sir, our radar is picking up high levels of mutated DNA coming from behind that door."

Raphael shoved Tyler through the hole.

"Break the door down," Bishop ordered.

"You can't do that," Casey objected.

There were two gun shots. Rea grabbed Raphael's arm. There was a groan and then two low *thuds*.

"They'll be out of it until we get them transported back to the base," someone said.

"Good. Now, break the door down," Bishop ordered again.

Raphael pulled his arm free and picked Rea up.

"No!" she breathed.

"I am not letting him get you and Tyler," Raphael whispered.

He pushed Rea through the hole.

"Close it," he hissed.

Tyler reluctantly put the hatch over the hole. Seconds after, he and Rea heard the door being forced open. There were sounds of a fierce struggle, and then a gun was fired. They heard a body fall and knew that Raphael was down.

"Get him into the truck," Bishop said.

"Sir, what about the children?" someone asked.

"They aren't important. We got what we came for," Bishop told his soldier.

Rea and Tyler looked at each other as everything below grew quiet. After a while, Rea got to her hands and knees and began crawling.

"Where are you going?" Tyler whispered.

"I'm finding a way out of here and going after Raph," Rea answered quietly.

She began crawling again. Tyler followed after her. Without Raphael to protect them, even a safe house didn't feel so safe anymore.

* * *

What do you think?


	15. All in the Mind

Everything was spinning. It was hard to determine which way was up. When had the world decided to go swimming in fog? A pained moan escaped his dry throat.

"Finally," he heard Bishop mutter.

Raphael slowly opened his eyes. He was surprised to find himself in a glass cage than strapped to a lab table. The turtle shook his head to try to clear the fog.

"Have a pleasant nap?" Bishop asked.

"Where am I?" Raphael groaned.

"My base," Bishop answered.

Raphael looked around the lab. It looked like Frankenstein's lab. Raphael's eyes landed on a small display case. Inside lay two twin katanas. Blue cloth was wrapped around the hilts. Bishop followed Raphael's gaze. An evil smile crept across Bishop's features.

"Yes. Leonardo _is_ my prisoner."

"Where is he? I swear, if you hurt him..."

"You are in no position to make threats," Bishop interrupted.

"Where-is-my-brother?" Raphael demanded.

"Safe. For now. As long as you co-operate," Bishop replied.

Raphael growled. Bishop smirked.

"I also have Donatello and Michelangelo."

Raphael's eyes widened in horror. _All_ of his brothers had been sent to this nightmare? A young scientist cautiously walked up to Bishop. He wore violet lab coat.

"Uh...ex-excuse me, s-sir?"

"Yes?"

"Th-the Sh-Shredder wants to talk to you."

"What does he want?" Bishop asked.

The young man's eyes drifted to Raphael.

"Chaplin?" the prisoner whispered.

Chaplin had never seemed like the timid kind. He was over flowing with confidence and energy. Or, so Raphael thought.

"Tell Shredder he can have the turtle when I'm done with him," Bishop said.

"I'm right here, ya know," Raphael voiced.

"Shredder wants to talk to you, Agent Bishop. He-he's gonna hate it if I answer," Chaplin explained.

"He hates everything," Bishop replied, his voice lacing with a rising temper.

The man sighed. Nevertheless, he turned and headed out of the lab.

"Watch him," was the last thing he said to Chaplin.

The scientist gulped and turned back to Raphael.

"Y-you're not gonna escape, are you?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

"I would totally get fired if that happened," Chaplin said.

"I'm curious, doc. I thought you worked for Shredder, not Bishop," Raphael confessed.

Chaplin tapped his fingertips together nervously.

"Shredder has no need for scientists, anymore. So, Bishop employed us," he explained.

"What about his ninjas?" Raphael asked.

"Oh, he still kept them. As long they don't fail. It's not good to fail Shredder."

"It never was."

Chaplin's timidness seemed to subside a little bit. Raphael looked over at the glass case where Leonardo's swords lay.

"He's not really here, you know."

Raphael turned to Chaplin.

"Pardon?"

"Agent Bishop was bluffing when he said that your brothers were his prisoners," Chaplin answered. "But, I wouldn't get angry if I were you. Agent Bishop has a sixth sense when it comes to anger."

"Seems like a lot of people have sixth senses around here," Raphael pointed out.

"That wouldn't surprise me," Chaplin admitted, a small smile touching his lips.

"Why?" Raphael asked.

"You haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what? That everyone I've met haven't been acting like themselves?"

"Other than that," Chaplin replied, pulling at his lab coat.

Raphael concentrated on the color. It had been the same color that the mirror had given off when he had snuck into Splinter's room back in the lair. But, before he could say anything, a chilling voice spoke.

"Now, now, Dr. Chaplin. I hope you are not letting our guest in on our secret."

Raphael's eyes narrowed dangerously as the Shredder walked into the lab. Bishop followed close behind. A low, threatening growl vibrated in Raphael's throat. Chaplin gulped and backed away as Shredder walked up to the cage. If he hadn't been tied down or behind a wall, Raphael was sure he would have attacked without a second thought.

"I have been waiting a long time for your arrival, Raphael," Shredder said.

The turtle didn't acknowledge the intended greeting.

"You always _were_ the stubborn one," Shredder commented.

"That's Casey's job," Raphael grunted.

He examined Shredder's suit. It was blood red. The color was so dark it looked black.

"I take it you're not the real Shredder. And I take it I'm not in the real New York."

"What makes you say that?" Shredder asked.

"For one thing: The sash around your waist doesn't have the Foot symbol on it. For another: Chaplin is too timid for his own good. New York is too quiet. The humans have disappeared off the face of the earth. And, if that really was Bishop standing behind you, he'd have me strapped to a lab table and getting ready to dissect me by now," Raphael explained.

Bishop seemed to stand straighter with every word that came out of the ninja's mouth. The red tint of his suit was no longer a tint, but a glow.

"So, you are catching on," Shredder observed.

"To what?" Raphael asked.

"That you are no longer in reality."

"Then, where am I?"

There was a short pause before Shredder answered.

"In your mind," he answered.

* * *

"I know they're around here somewhere."

"Rea, we've running for _hours_. Can we rest?"

"There's no _time_ to rest, Tyler. We have to find the guys as quickly as possible. And I _know_ their safe house is close."

Rea desperately scanned the street. Finally, she saw the house. Grabbing Tyler's arm, Rea raced for the door. As soon as she was close enough, Rea banged on the door.

"Guys! Are you in there? We need help!"

The door opened and a purple masked turtle appeared.

"Rea?"

"Tech?"

"Don."

Rea's eyes widened.

"Oh, crud. You got pulled in, too?"

"What?" Donatello asked.

Rea forced her way inside, still dragging Tyler. When she got to the living room, she released Tyler, who collapsed to the floor in exhaustion.

"How did you guys get pulled in?" Rea asked.

"What do you mean?" the turtle, who Rea guessed was Leonardo, asked.

"The last thing any of us remember is a red burst of light," Donatello explained.

"It's not supposed to effect others," Rea moaned, falling on to the couch.

"What's not? Mind explaining?" Michelangelo asked.

"Tell them and get it over with," Tyler ordered.

Rea sighed. There was no hiding it now. They would find out sooner or later.

"Alright. I guess, by now, you've noticed that New York has ungone some...changes," Rea began.

"Just a few," Donatello put in sarcastically.

"Well, the truth is: this isn't the real New York City. It's an alternate."

"You mean we're in another dimension?" Leonardo guessed.

"Not exactly. That mirror I gave Raphael a few weeks ago was...kind of a...a portal," Rea replied.

"A portal to where?" Michelangelo asked.

Rea swallowed hard.

"Into his mind," she whispered.

* * *


	16. Origin Story pt 2

**A/N**: I would like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed thus far.

* * *

Three pairs of shocked eyes stared at Rea.

"We're where?" Donatello asked, his voice cracking on the last word.

"Raph's mind," Rea told him.

"Huh. No wonder it's so bleak," Michelangelo commented.

Dren laughed. His brothers, Donatello and Leonardo glared at him. Dren cleared his throat and fell silent again.

"But, wouldn't Raph have some way of knowing we were here? Since we're in his head," Leonardo pointed out.

"I honestly have no idea. I didn't make the mirror, my brother did. Only he knows how the mirror works," Rea explained.

"The mirror is a portal into people's minds?" Donatello asked.

"It's a portal to many places, Donatello. It just so happened that it became a portal into the mind."

Leonardo looked from Rea to the doubles.

"So, who are you?" he asked.

"My full name is Intellect," Tech replied. "Dren's real name is Hasty. But, we call him "Adrenaline" or "Dren" for short. Master Splinter is Wisdom."

"And, Cal is Calm or Patient," Donatello added.

"What about Lil' Blue?" Michelangelo asked.

The small turtle that was curled up in Splinter's arms looked up when he heard his name. Donatello looked into the cold, amber eyes of the child. They looked so much like Raphael's eyes it was scary.

"He forgets how to have fun."

Everyone turned to face the youngest turtle. It wasn't the fact that he spoke (which he rarely did), but that his voice sounded exactly the same as Raphael's voice when he was a kid.

"Dude, you're...Raph?" Michelangelo whispered.

"No. My name is...what was it?...H-Happy?"

"I didn't know Raph _did_ happy," Michelangelo confessed.

"Why a child to represent happiness?" Donatello asked.

"Because a child is innocent and naturally beaming with it, Don," Leonardo told his brother. "But, as Raph grew older, his inner child grew weaker."

"And he's forgotten how to have fun," Happy whispered. "The only 'fun' he knows is that horrible fighting. When was the last time he played a video game?"

Donatello and Leonardo looked at Michelangelo.

"Like I would know," the orange masked ninja put in.

"You're always bugging Raph about playing those things with you," Donatello said.

"It's been years. And don't even _start_ about comics. He's _always_ hated those. Even as a kid," Michelangelo injected.

"That's not true," Happy protested. "And don't even say, 'How do you know?' because _I'm inner kid_!"

"I really didn't see much of you growing up with Raph," Michelangelo snapped.

"_Because he would never listen to me_!" Happy screamed. "Do you have _any_ idea how stubborn his stubborn side actually _is_?"

The older mutants were silent. Rea and Tyler just sat still and didn't say a word.

"I try and I try. But, that bonehead Jones will never let go," Happy seethed.

"Jones? Casey?" Leonardo asked.

"How many Jones men do you know?" Happy replied.

"Good point," Leonardo put in.

"It's stupid to tell Jones...or Stubborn, I should say...that he's stubborn. It's the pot calling the kettle black. It's even more stupid to reason with him," Happy continued.

Rea scoffed.

"You're the one talking about reasoning?" she voiced. "Who has the powers of reason in this room?"

"I was trying to make a point," Happy replied.

"Rea, didn't Bishop find our safe house when we didn't stop fighting?" Tyler asked, breaking his silence.

Rea swallowed hard.

"He did," she confirmed.

"How would Bishop know where to find us?" Donatello asked.

"By rising tempers," Rea began. "Bishop represents Anger in this world. Mrs. Marson, the woman we were staying with represents Love. Tyler represents Recklessness. And I...became...the personification of Reason."

"Became?" Leonardo echoed.

"I didn't always belong to the mirror's world," Rea answered. "I belonged to your world. My parents were killed in a plane crash when me and my brother were twelve. After our aunt and uncle were killed in a fire, we were sent to an orphanage. During that time, my brother began to involve himself in black magic. I didn't have time for it. I told him it would only lead to more trouble. But, he wouldn't listen. He was too consumed in hatred and revenge that he became blinded. By the time we were fourteen he had created the mirror. The same mirror which I cursed Raphael with."

"Why would he make such a thing?" Donatello asked.

"He promised me that it would destroy the people who killed our parents. But, they were already dead and they couldn't die again. However, he explained that the mirror could transport people to different dimensions, possibly even back in time. I knew he had lost his mind," Rea whispered.

A heavy silence filled the room. Splinter's ears perked up.

"What is it, sensei?" Leonardo and Cal asked.

"We have company," Splinter hissed.

The quiet was pierced by sirens.

* * *

"What do you mean, 'in my mind'?" Raphael demanded.

"That mirror that your little friend, Rea gave you became a portal into your mind. I must say, I was surprised to see it so lively...for a mutant," Shredder taunted.

Raphael growled.

"I am not making much sense, am I?" Shredder asked.

"What do you think?" Raphael spat.

"Bishop, release him."

Hesitantly, Bishop unlocked the cage door. He was about to pull Raphael to his feet when Shredder stopped him.

"We are all friends here. Let him walk on his own," he instructed.

Raphael got to his feet and stepped out of the cage. He could feel cold metal slide over his hands.

"No need to feel threatened," Shredder said.

"I'm standing in the presence of my mortal enemy. Of course there's a need to feel threatened," Raphael explained.

Shredder watched with awkward interest as Raphael's torso was encased in metal armor.

"Ya goin' to explain what that mirror's for or are ya just gonna stare?"

"Indeed. You do deserve an explanation. Very well. Do you want to go somewhere more private?"

"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" Raphael growled.

"I thought you wanted an explanation," Shredder said.

"If it's gonna take ya this long to tell a story, I might as well be dead," Raphael replied.

"Very well. Where do you want to begin?" Shredder asked.

"Rea."

"Ah. My dear, sweet, twin sister."

All sound disappeared from the lab.

"Your...what?" Raphael asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Raphael. I am not the Shredder you know in reality."

Shredder took off his helmet. Short, black and red colored hair fell around a pale face.

"My real name is Ralph. Rea has already told you of me."

Raphael involuntarily shivered.

"Cold?" Ralph asked.

"No," Raphael snapped.

Ralph smirked.

"Perhaps my voice reminds you of your own," he offered.

Raphael bit his tongue. Ralph chuckled.

"Unlike yourself, I have lived in Brooklyn. I was part of the outside world, once upon a time. However, that life was destroyed when..."

"Your aunt and uncle were killed in a fire," Raphael finished.

"I see Rea has told you more than I though," Ralph noted.

"Speaking of Rea, why does she look like a walking skeleton?" Raphael asked.

"She's dying that fast? I thought she would have enough strength to last a few more days," Ralph said.

Raphael's eyes widened with fear.

"She's...what?"

"You have taken a liking to my twin? How pathetic."

"Why is she dying?" Raphael demanded.

"If you think it is my fault, you are greatly mistaken, reptile. You see, I wanted to save her. She was the only family I had left. But, they wanted to take her away from me. I was going to use the mirror, but something happened. We were both sucked inside the mirror's endless void. As the years went on, we began to change. We were given unique abilities. While I grew more powerful, she grew weaker and more reasonable. And then, one night...one, insignificant night. The void changed. Myself and Rea found ourselves in New York. We thought we were home. However, there were people and creatures we had never seen before. I could feel anger and hatred in some of the people. Rea could feel it, too, and it scared her. I told her we should take control of the city. She had another plan. She ran. She kept shouting to herself, 'Make a run for it and live to fight another day'."

Ralph scoffed. Raphael closed his eyes. It had been Rea all along. It had been her telling not only herself to run, but him as well.

"I went looking for Rea after a while. When I couldn't find her I had two men go after her. That's when I realized she had been able to escape back into the real world."

"That was the night I rescued her," Raphael breathed. "The night when she gave me the mirror. And, when it began acting strange on the roof. That was..."

The turtle looked up at Ralph, who was smiling darkly.

"That was you."

"Yes, it was. I fed off enough of your anger and rage to break through some of the mirror's barriers, but not all. That was why you had those laspes in personality. Not only could I get through, but also some of the more weaker emotions. Patience was one of them. He took on the form of a blue masked reptile."

"Leo? The patient one?" Raphael asked with a hint of humor in his voice.

"But, no longer. I took care of that. He's no more dangerous than that amber eyed brat they call 'brother'," Ralph explained.

"Amber eyed brat?"

"Honestly. Your inner child. Even _you_ have one of those," Ralph said.

"I thought I got rid of that," Raphael muttered.

"No one can truly get rid of that. However, yours is so weak I'd be surprised if he's still alive."

Just then, the lab doors opened and a guard ran in. He headed over to Bishop and whispered something to his boss. Bishop's eyes widened.

"Bring them in."

The guard ran back out. He returned shortly with some of his comrades who were guarding eight mutants and two humans.

"Raph?"

Raphael didn't know who spoke. His eyes remained locked on the small child Splinter was holding. The blue masked toddler looked up and met Raphael's gaze. If it weren't for the cold, amber eyes, Raphael would have said he was looking at a kid version of Leonardo.

"So, he _is_ alive. Interesting," Ralph commented.

"As if you care," Rea snapped.

"My dear, sweet sister. I care for the well being of all who live in my domain," Ralph replied.

Raphael blinked.

"_Your_ domain? Who's mind are you in?"

"Quite soon, Raphael, I will be free and as soon as I am both this world and the outside world will belong to Hate," Ralph threatened.

"Over my dead body," Raphael hissed.

"Perfect."

Bishop pulled a lever and a trap door opened. Raphael disappeared into the darkness.

"Raph!" Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo cried.

"Take them away!" Ralph ordered. "But, leave Rea for me."

The mutants and Tyler were dragged off while Rea was left standing alone. The lab doors slid shut.

"It's pathetic, really," Ralph began.

"What's pathetic?" Rea asked.

"That he's taken a liking to you," her brother answered.

"Raph doesn't...I'm hardly his type of..."

"I've seen the way he looks at you. He's scared of losing you. You're probably the last bit of reason he has left."

"You mean, I'm the only thing standing between his subconscious and you," Rea corrected.

"That too," Ralph agreed. "If he's so scared of losing you, I might as well let you two be together in your final moments."

"You've become a monster, Ralph," Rea spat.

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."

The evil smile on her brother's face was the last thing Rea saw before she was plunged into darkness.

* * *

What do you think?


	17. In a Pit of Despair

There was nothing to catch her fall except for hard ground. Rea landed on her stomach. The air was forced out of her lungs. She moaned as she pushed herself up. Taking a few shaky breaths, Rea managed to regulate her breathing. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness that enveloped her. A dark figure lay a few feet in front of her. Rea could pick out the outline of a shell. Willing movement back into her aching body, Rea crawled over to Raphael.

"Raph?" she whispered, placing a hand on the back of her friend's neck.

At least he was still breathing. Rea moved her hand down Raphael's right arm. It was covered with cold metal. However, the metal bore several cracks. Rea moved her hand down to Raphael's wrist. The band was severely cracked. Picking up Raphael's hand, Rea touched the metal band. It broke apart and fell to the ground. Having nothing to hold it in place, the metal on Raphael's arm also fell. The turtle took in a sharp breath. He was sent into a coughing fit. Rea carefully turned him on to his back. She noticed that the metal that had been secured to his torso had broken away. Raphael regained his breath and slowly opened his eyes.

"Raph?" Rea breathed.

Raphael turned to look at her. In the darkness, Rea could see him smile weakly.

"You've...finally...listened to me," he gasped.

"Now is hardly the time for jokes," Rea scowled.

"Why is it so cold?" Raphael asked.

Rea looked up. Hundreds of feet above their heads shone a dim circle of light.

"We're in a Pit of Despair."

"Come again?"

"A Pit of Despair," Rea repeated.

Raphael's eyes began to close.

"Come on, Raph, try to stay awake," Rea instructed, shaking the turtle. "I don't want to be left alone down here."

Raphael took Rea's hand firmly in his.

"As long I breathe, you'll never be alone," he promised.

Rea looked down at the already rusted metal on the floor. Soft, even breathing filled the silence. Rea ran her fingers over the metal hand that still held hers. Finding a breaking point in the metal, she began removing the metal encasing. Soon, the floor was littered with rusting metal. The only thing that had survived the fall was the belt. Sliding the rusted remains away from her and her friend, Rea lay down and placed her head on Raphael's chest. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Leonardo woke up when a small amount of pressure was applied to his chest. He moaned and forced his eyes open. Someone was holding on to his with a death grip. Leonardo looked down and found Happy in his lap. The older turtle looked around. There wasn't much to look at due to the never ending darkness. He could just make out the outlines of a rat and four turtles. Leonardo blinked. Four? There were supposed to be five. Including himself and the child in his lap, which made seven. Leonardo forced his eyes to focus. As his eyes adjusted, the others appeared to be asleep.

_"Who's missing?"_ Leonardo asked himself.

It was difficult to tell who was missing. Slowly, he could make out the colors of the masks. Leonardo went through the colors in his head.

_"Three blues. Two oranges. One purple...wait...what?"_

Panic shot through Leonardo's stomach. Was Donatello or Tech gone? He didn't want either one gone, but if Bishop or Ralph were doing anything to harm one of his brothers...

"Donatello's fine," came a small, weak voice.

Leonardo looked down. Dull, golden eyes were looking back up at him. Even the mask that was around them was a dull grey.

"What happened to you?" Leonardo breathed.

"He took what strength I had left," Happy whispered. "He did the same to Cal, Sensei and Dren. More and more of us are being captured and drained. Soon, he'll have enough power to escape this world."

"Where are Raph and Rea?" Leonardo asked.

"They just disappeared. No one knows where they are," Happy replied.

Just then, the door opened and light poured into the small cell. However, no one woke up. Two guards stepped into the cell. Leonardo's eyes widened when he saw a motionless Tech hanging between them. His once rich purple mask was now nothing more than a dull rag. The guards roughly threw Tech into the cell and slammed the door.

"Tech? Tech, can you hear me?" Leonardo asked, gently shaking his brother's double.

A painful moan was the reply. Happy buried his face into Leonardo's chest. Tech pushed himself up and dragged himself over to the wall.

"Tech, say something," Leonardo begged.

"You're next," Tech hissed in pain.

Just as he said it, the cell door opened again and two guards walked over to Leonardo.

* * *

It was either the cold or the nightmare that snapped Raphael out of his sleep. He gasped for air, only to have his chest burn when his lungs were filled with ice instead of air. He moaned.

"I thought you weren't going to wake up."

Raphael turned his head and saw Rea sitting up against the wall. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. He felt different.

"I removed the armor while you asleep," Rea explained when Raphael touched his arm.

"How?"

"It was cracked when you fell. I couldn't get the belt off though."

Raphael looked down at his hands. He should have been over joyed, although he felt strangely depressed.

"It's the cold. It makes you feel anixous and depressed," Rea replied.

"So, how do we get out?" Raphael asked.

"We don't. We're stuck down here. No one has been able to find a way out by themselves. Someone else always has to come and get them out, and that could take years," Rea answered.

Raphael looked up at the ring of light. How long had they been down there? It couldn't have been more than a few hours. But, judging by the way Rea acted and looked, Raphael knew they had been down there for a few days.

_"If you don't find a way out of here Rea's gonna die down here,"_ the ninja told himself.

He looked from Rea back to the light. Already it seemed closer, reachable. Raphael felt around in his belt. Rea watched with curiousity.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Raphael pulled out a set of shuko spikes. He slipped them on to his hands.

"Come on."

"What?"

"We're gettin' out of here."

"No one can get out of here. Not even a ninja," Rea whined. "Besides, there's going to be no one left, even if we _do_ get out."

"Say what?"

"Ralph's draining the last bit of strength he needs to escape this world," Rea explained. "It's over."

Raphael felt his heart stop. The last bit of strength that Ralph needed belonged to his brothers. Raphael looked at Rea.

"What?"

"You're the voice of reason. What's the reasonable thing to do?" Raphael asked.

"I don't know anymore," Rea confessed.

Raphael knelt down in front of his friend. If she had been a bit stronger he would have shaken some sense into her. Rea's once oddly colored hair now hung in grey strands. Her brown eyes were dull and cold.

"I'm sorry, Raph," Rea whispered.

"For what?" Raphael asked.

"I was charged with protecting you. That was the only reason why I came back to your world."

"Is that why I could never find you when I needed you?"

Rea nodded.

"I returned to this realm. I tried to reason with my brother, but he wouldn't hear any of it. So, I told the others to try to keep you as far away from Ralph as possible. However, on the night when you lost your temper with Master Splinter I thought Rage was going to break free."

"And who's Rage?" Raphael asked.

"You know him in your world as Hun," Rea answered.

"Oh boy. I'm glad Ralph broke free and not Hun," Raphael confessed.

"Rage has already been freed. Soon, he'll come for you, and then everything will be in Despair," Rea whispered.

* * *

What do you think?


	18. Rage and Deceit

**A/N**: I apologize for the delay, but my life has been hectic lately. To make it up to you I have decided to update.

* * *

Leonardo pulled with all of his remaining strength to free himself from the grasp of the two men that pulled him towards his end. However, his thoughts weren't on what was waiting for him in Bishop's lab, but back in the cell where his brothers and their doubles were. Especially on Happy. The poor child had taken a sound beating when the guards had come to take Leonardo. The kid had Raphael's spirit all right. Strong, determined, passionate.

"Don't worry, freak. It'll be over before you know it," one of the men taunted.

Leonardo looked up to see that they were in the genetics lab. A glass status tank stood in the middle of the room. It was hooked up to a strange machine. The leader was reminded of one of Michelangelo's horror movie marathons. This had _Frankenstein_ written all over it.

"I'll take 'im from here."

Leonardo froze. He knew the voice and the shadow that loomed over him all too well. With a hard swallow, Leonardo slowly looked up. As predicted, Hun was standing in front of him. The guards released the turtle and walked away. Leonardo gazed up at the human mountain. It was difficult to say whether he belonged to this world or the outside world. He looked pretty much the same. However, his hair was jet black, and the Purple Dragon tattoo that he wore on his left arm was no longer purple, but the same haunting black. The same was said for the Foot symbol tattoo on his right arm.

"I've been looking forward to this," Hun said.

"You look...different," Leonardo tried to joke.

"You freaks never did have a sense of humor," Hun spat.

He grabbed the back of Leonardo's shell and tossed him into the tank as if he wore a rag doll. Leonardo moaned and pushed himself up. The door slammed shut. The machine began to hum as it was powered up. Leonardo's eyes shot from the technicians to the slim figure that was standing behind Hun. His eyes narrowed. The woman bowed mockingly at the captive. Her taunting smile never left her face as the tank was filled dark red mist. Leonardo felt his strength drain as the mist evaporated. Was it possible to be in so much physical and mental pain? The ninja struggled to look up as the woman walked up.

"Do not worry, Leonardo. I will take good care of Raphael," she promised.

"I swear to you, Karai. Lay one finger on my brother and you'll have my sword through your heart," Leonardo hissed.

Karai laughed.

"As if you have any strength to lift a sword," she teased.

She stepped aside to let Hun open the door. Leonardo didn't fight when he was dragged out. Karai placed a hand under Leonardo's chin and lifted his head up so that they were looking into each others' eyes. Leonardo let out a strangled gasp when he found himself looking into his own eyes.

"Raphael won't know what hit him."

"You deceitful little..."

"Temper, temper, Leonardo," Karai said, taking her own form again. "I do hope Raphael enjoys his surprise. Take him away."

Hun threw Leonardo over his shoulder and walked out of the lab. Karai shifted back into Leonardo's form.

"It's fun being Deceit."

* * *

"Raph, just give up," Rea said.

Raphael jumped down from the wall and walked over to where his companion was sitting.

"The wall's strong enough to hold both our weight," he said.

"You mean, strong enough to hold _your_ weight," Rea corrected. "You're the heaviest."

Raphael picked Rea up and swung her onto his back. Being too tired to argue, Rea wrapped her arms around her friend's neck and tightened her grip when he began climbed up the wall. He was persistent, she would give him that.

"You still with me?" Raphael asked after a moment of silence.

"Mm hm," Rea hummed.

"Good. 'Cause we're almost there."

Rea looked up. Frowning, she looked back down. How long had they been climbing? It felt like only a couple of minutes. Raphael reached up and grabbed the edge of the hole. He pushed himself up. Rea climbed off of Raphael's back and looked down into what she thought was a thousand foot pit. Now, it only looked like a couple of metres deep.

"I don't get it."

Raphael got to his feet and brushed himself off.

"What don't you get it?" he asked.

"How did you know?" Rea wondered.

"Know what?"

"That we could get out?"

Raphael didn't answer right away. Finally, he spoke.

"I didn't."

Rea frowned in confusion.

"I didn't think we could get out," Raphael repeated.

"Then...why..."

"It's a little thing called faith. I went out on a limb," Raphael explained.

"It was pretty good limb," Rea commented.

"Every now and then you get one of those," Raphael replied.

Rea got to her feet.

"We should go look for your brothers. Ralph will be moving to drain their strength next," she said.

The friends began walking. In the distance, Karai watched the friends with interest.

* * *

"Where did that bozo drop us?" Raphael growled. "We're nowhere _near_ the city."

"You can't really have a Valley of Despair in the middle of New York," Rea pointed out.

"Sure you can. Dump it in Central Park," Raphael said.

Rea laughed. It was the first time in days since either of them had laughed. Raphael looked down at his friend. Rea suddenly looked healthier. Her clothes no longer hung from her thin form. The blue and red in her hair was breaking through the grey. And her eyes were bright with life again.

"It's true what they say about laughter. It _is_ the best medicine," Raphael commented.

"I feel a lot better, too," Rea confirmed.

"At least one of us can still laugh," Raphael whispered sadly.

Rea's smile faded. She looked away. How could she have forgotten so easily? Raphael had been more depressed than she had been a few days ago when the others had their strength drained. Happy had been the first to go.

"He doesn't have all of them," Rea voiced.

"What do you mean?" Raphael asked.

"Ralph doesn't have everyone. He doesn't have Love, Stubborn, Brave. Them."

"Of coarse he does. Bishop took Leatherhead after we escaped his place. And, in case you've forgotten, Mrs. Marson and Casey were the first to get caught," Raphael explained.

"I know _that_. But, what I mean is: Ralph doesn't have their _powers_," Rea put in. "Why else was I unable to talk you out of climbing out of that hole? And, you've been acting like a mother hen ever since we were brought into this world."

"There are some things you can't take away," Raphael answered.

The travellers fell silent. After a few moments, the dark horizon was pierced by lights.

"We're back," Rea said.

"But not with a vengence," Raphael added.

"Should we be?" Rea asked.

"If I wasn't empty I would be," Raphael told her.

"They're not all gone, Raph. Remember? 'There are some things you can't take away'," Rea quoted.

Raphael smiled. He looked from the city to Rea.

"Like Reason?" he guessed.

"Like Reason," Rea echoed. "Among others."

"What others?" Raphael asked.

Rea's eyes suddenly held a suspicious haze.

"Rea? What's wrong?"

"We're not alone."

On cue, footsteps could be heard in the distance.

"Who's there?" Raphael demanded.

A figure came out of the shadows.

"R-Raph?"

"Leo? Leo, what are you doing here?" Raphael asked.

He ran over to his brother and caught him before he fell. Leonardo gasped for breath.

"R-Ralph drained us...and...dumped us out here. I don't know what happened to Mike and Don. He must've taken them to another part of the valley," he explained.

Raphael and Rea shared a quick glance. Rea's expression was skeptical.

"Where was the last place you saw Don and Mike?" Raphael asked.

Leonardo pointed towards the rocky area where he had just come from.

"We're in the Desert of Deceit. How do we know this isn't a trick?" Rea asked, her voice harsh.

Leonardo turned to Raphael.

"Raph, have you ever known me to lead you down a wrong path?" he asked.

Raphael felt himself being torn in two. It was a question of his trust in both his brother and one of his best friends.

"Well...no...but..."

"How do you know _she_ isn't deceiving you?" Leonardo spat, nodding at Rea.

"_Excuse_ _me_?!" Rea roared.

"You said so yourself. We're in the Desert of Deceit."

"And that automatically makes me Deceit? No one even _knows_ what Deceit looks like!"

Raphael rubbed his eyes. His chest began to burn.

"Everybody-calm-down," he ordered, trying to keep his voice calm.

Leonardo and Rea fell silent, but they still glared at each other.

"Leo, Rea isn't Deceit. If she was I would probably be dead by now. And, Rea, as much as I dislike to show that I have no trust in you, which I do, Leo's right. He's never led me or any of our brothers into a trap," Raphael explained.

"And here I thought _I_ was the voice of Reason," Rea muttered jokingly.

"Leo, show us the way," Raphael said.

Leonardo began walking. Rea and Raphael followed.

"He's not the Leonardo I know," Rea whispered.

"He does seem...different. But, I guess that's what happens when you're influenced by Hate," Raphael whispered.

While the two friends were talking, Leonardo slipped out a black steel dagger.

* * *

What do you think?


	19. Victims of Deceit

**A/N**: I feel that this story is coming to an end. I don't know if this will be the second or final chapter yet. I'll let fate be the judge.

* * *

_"They call it a desert for a reason."_

That was the only thought Raphael could manage at the moment. They had been trudging through the sand for nearly two hours and there was still no sign of life. The only positive thing he had to go on was that Rea was regaining her old fire. Raphael gazed off towards the horizon. He could still see the city lights, even though they had to be miles from New York.

"I still say we should go back," Rea voiced bitterly.

Leonardo tensed. Sensing another fight, Raphael headed over to a randomly positioned rock and sat down. His aching leg muscles thanked him immediately.

"I've been wandering around this place longer than you have," Leonardo began.

"I've lived in this stinkin' _mirror_ longer than you have," Rea shot back.

"And I've been sufferin' from heat stroke longer than the both of you," Raphael injected.

"I think we're all suffering from heat stroke," Rea explained.

"Then, why don't we take deep breaths and calm down before one of us faints?" Raphael suggested.

Leonardo and Rea looked at him. The red masked turtle just shrugged. The rivals looked at each other.

"Either you've rubbed off on him, or the sun's fried his brain," Leonardo muttered to Rea.

He walked away. Rea went to sit down by Raphael. She laid her head against his leg. A few seconds later, she felt three fingers run through her hair. A tired smile touched her lips.

"Enjoying yourself?" Rea asked.

"I don't get to do this all the time," Raphael said.

"Get a girlfriend and you'll be able to do it _all_ the time," Rea pointed out.

"As if someone like me could get a girlfriend."

Rea turned her head back so that she could face her best friend.

"Why not? You're strong, brave...charming if you want to be."

Raphael snorted to hide a laugh.

"I hardly consider myself 'charming', twerp."

"I said, 'if you want to be'," Rea repeated slowly, emphasizing each word.

"I doubt many human girls would want a giant, talking turtle as a boyfriend," Raphael said.

"How do you know?" Rea asked.

Raphael frowned down at the girl. There was something in her eyes that no doubt others saw in his own.

"You're only fourteen."

"I was fourteen when I was pulled into the mirror. Time moves ever so slowly in an endless void. By the time you and your brothers had your seventeenth birthday, I was sixteen," Rea explained.

"You don't look sixteen," Raphael confessed.

"Thank Ralph for that," Rea muttered.

"Are you allowed to show feelings towards your charges?" Raphael asked.

Rea blushed and looked away. Raphael looked towards where Leonardo was sitting. He shouldn't have asked that question. Now, the rest of the trip would be made in awkward silence.

"We should probably get going," Raphael muttered.

He got to his feet and walked away. Rea did the same and followed. Leonardo looked up when he heard footsteps.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Raphael only nodded. Leonardo pushed himself to his feet and continued in the direction they were going. Rea walked up to Raphael's side. In the awkward silence that the ninja had predicted, they followed Leonardo across the desert.

* * *

A small whimper brought him out of his sedated haze. Everything slowly came back into focus. The darkness wasn't a welcoming sight. For a brief moment, Donatello thought he had gone blind. However, the darkness began to take different shapes. Five turtles and one rat. Donatello blinked in confusion. Five turtles? Where was number six? There was supposed to be seven turtles.

Donatello looked around the dark cell. Dren and Michelangelo were on the other side. Splinter and Cal were in the corner. Tech was lying on the floor beside him. And Happy was lying in the spot where he had been with...

Donatello closed his eyes and laid his head against the wall.

"Leo," he breathed.

Happy whimpered again. Donatello opened his eyes and looked at the small child. He crawled over to his brother's inner child and put his arms around him.

"Leo's gone," Happy sobbed.

Donatello rubbed his back.

"Leo will be fine. He's had worse."

"Not if _she_ gets her hands on him," Happy replied.

"Who's 'she'?" Donatello asked.

Before Happy could answer, the cell door opened and Leonardo was thrown in. He hit Donatello. The purple masked turtle looked up to see who had mistreated his brother, only to see an even more intimidating Hun standing in the doorway. The door was closed again and darkness quickly took over. Donatello began checking for injuries. To his great relief he found none. Then, he noticed Happy was staring at Leonardo's mask. Donatello also glanced at his sibling's mask. Instead of dark blue, Leonardo now wore a dull grey mask.

"It's starting," Happy whispered.

"Dare I ask?" Donatello asked.

Leonardo's body jerked violently. A choked gasp escaped his throat.

"Leo?"

"R-Raph...Rea...in trouble..."

"What trouble?" Donatello asked.

"Desert," Leonardo gasped.

Happy's eyes widened with horror.

"Not the Desert."

"What desert? What's going on?" Donatello demanded.

"The Desert of Deceit," Happy answered.

"She...has my...form," Leonardo choked.

"She?" Donatello echoed. "Karai?"

Leonardo nodded slowly.

"She's leading them...to their deaths."

* * *

Sun gave way to shade. Sand turned into grass. Desert began forest. Forest immediately became a welcomed relief. The travellers sat down to rest. Raphael found a pool of fresh water and gratefully drank his fill. Rea found fresh fruit and shared it out between the three of them.

"So, where are Don and Mike?" Raphael asked.

"Somewhere in this forest," Leonardo answered.

Rea held her tongue. She trusted Raphael to know his brothers. Nonetheless, that didn't stop her from sensing an air of betrayal around the blue masked mutant.

"Raph, I'm going to take a walk," she whispered.

"Alright," Raphael whispered back.

Rea disappeared through a wall of trees. A few minutes past and Leonardo got up. Raphael noticed the movement.

"Where are you goin'?" he asked.

"To take a walk," Leonardo answered.

He headed off down the same path Rea had taken. Feeling a sudden sense of urgency, Raphael got to his feet and headed after Leonardo.

"Leo? Rea?" he called.

"Raph!"

Raphael spun around. He didn't know what direction the scream had come from. He turned left and broke into a run. He came to the edge of a waterfall.

"Wrong turn," he told himself.

Raphael turned around only to came face to face with Leonardo.

"Enjoying the view?"

Raphael backed up, but his foot met open air. He looked over his shoulder. It was a thousand foot drop at least.

"Scared of heights?" Leonardo asked.

"No. That's you," Raphael answered.

Leonardo laughed. Panic began to rise in Raphael's stomach.

"Leo, you feelin' okay?"

"I've never felt better."

Leonardo slipped out a black bladed dagger. However, a strange red liquid coated the blade. Realization hit Raphael like a train.

"Rea was right all along."

An evil smile spread across Leonardo's face.

"And you trusted me anyway."

Raphael's eyes narrowed. Leonardo began to shift. Raphael soon found himself looking at Karai.

"What are the chances that _you'd_ represent Deceit?" the reptile growled.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Karai asked, playing with the dagger.

"Where's Rea?" Raphael demanded.

"In the afterlife."

Raphael felt his heart break. He shook his head.

"You're lying!" he roared.

Karai held up the dagger.

"Your name was the last thing that touched her lips."

Raphael turned away. His eyes began to burn.

"Do not worry. When the master takes over you won't have time to think about your little girlfriend," Karai taunted.

"He won't get that far," Raphael hissed.

"Oh, yes. What was it you said? Over your dead body?"

Raphael charged. Karai easily dodged the raged ninja. Raphael spun around and charged again. He didn't know where the dagger was until Karai grabbed his arms, pulled them behind his back and felt the blade plunge into his back.

"Like you said, 'over your dead body'," Karai whispered. "Say hello to Rea for me."

She released Raphael and pulled out the dagger. He fell to his knees. Karai smiled as she watched the fire in Raphael's eyes finally burn out. His eyes drifted closed and his body fell. Karai placed her foot on her victim's side and pushed him over the edge. She watched as the ninja disappeared through the mist. After she heard the splash, Karai turned around and walked away.

* * *

What do you think?


	20. Dead or Alive?

**A/N**: As fate would have it this is the second last chapter. The last one is the final confrontation. Here's to hoping that I can write a half-decent fight scene. *crosses fingers*.

_

* * *

_

_(Outside world)_

Dark storm clouds rolled over an unsuspecting New York. A few people turned their gazes skyward as thunder began to roll from the clouds.

"Was it supposed to rain?" some of them asked.

From her apartment window, April watched with rising panic and fear as it began to rain. The guys had disappeared two weeks ago. Splinter had temporarily moved in until his sons returned. April welcomed him with open arms. She knew the quiet was fraying Splinter's nerves. Without four rambunctious teenagers, the sewers could get disturbingly quiet.

April was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of the door opening. A soaking wet vigilante and a half-drowned rat walked through the door.

"Still nothing?" April guessed.

Casey peeled his hockey mask off and shook his head. Splinter headed to the washroom without a word.

"I feel so helpless," April said.

"We all do, April," Casey replied as he put his arms around his fiance. "Even the Foot didn't know where the guys are."

Lighting split the sky in two. The rain came down even harder.

"Even the weather feels helpless," April muttered.

"It is something worse," Splinter said, coming out of the washroom.

His ears were flat against his skull and his fur was almost standing on end. His eyes narrowed.

"What is it, Master Splinter?" April asked.

"Shredder," Splinter hissed.

* * *

Saki watched as the black rain poured from the heavens. This was no ordinary rain storm. There was presence on the wind.

"Pardon the intrusion, my lord."

"What do the scouts have to report?" Saki asked.

"They were unable to find anything out of the ordinary, master," Karai answered.

Saki became thoughtful. The presence that came through the open window with the wind was extremely familiar. He recognized the anger and the fury. The force at which the wind blew reminded Saki of a certain ninja's strength.

"Master?"

Saki gazed into the dark clouds. The clouds above Central Park began to glow red. They slowly began to spiral as if a vortex was opening up.

"We are about to receive guests," the Foot leader announced.

* * *

_(Mirror world)_

The ground shook violently as Ralph tore a seam between the mirror world and the outside world.

"At long last I can finally escape this wretched place," he said as the vortex opened.

"Hurry it up, Don," Leonardo urged.

Donatello tried to pick the lock of the cage that the eight mutants were being kept in. Fortunately, the cage was in a separate room in the base.

"Raph's the master of lock-picking," he grumbled.

"Can I try?" Happy asked. "I _am_ part of Raphael, after all."

Donatello handed the child the metal stick and moved to the side. Happy took Donatello's place and reached up towards the padlock. He twisted and turned the stick until finally there was a *snap* and the lock fell off. Happy looked up at the older mutants and smiled. The others smiled back.

"Let's go," Leonardo and Cal instructed.

Donatello opened the door and headed out of the cage. Tech picked his little brother up and followed. One by one the group made their way to freedom. They hurried through the base until they came to the main chamber. Donatello held up his hand.

"Ah, Deceit, you have returned from your mission," Ralph said.

"Yes, master."

Leonardo growled and stepped forward. Michelangelo held his eldest sibling back.

"Not now," he whispered.

"Were you successful?" Ralph asked.

Through the small opening in the door, the mutants could see Deceit take out a dagger. The blade was coated with a thick layer of red liquid.

"I took out the girl first. You should have seen the look on Raphael's face when I told him that his little Rea was dead."

Donatello slowly turned to face the others behind him. Tech, Dren, Cal and Splinter were as still as statues. Happy had his face buried in Tech's plastron. His small shoulders shook with fierce sobs. Cal was supposed to be the calm one. But, right now, he looked as if he was about to murder someone. The same thing could be said for Leonardo.

"Rea's...gone?" Dren whimpered.

"Raphie," Michelangelo whined.

Donatello turned back to watch Ralph. How was that even possible? This was Raphael's mind, right? If he was dead (which Donatello refused to believe), then wouldn't everything turn into a void again? The inventor thought back to the Utrom Oracle Pods. Trapped within their own minds. Get hurt bad enough that you end up dying, then you truly were dead. They had almost lost Michelangelo that way.

"What do we do, sensei?" Cal asked.

Splinter remained silent.

"Sensei?" Tech said.

"We must stop Ralph from entering the outside world," Splinter instructed.

"How?" Happy asked.

"Where are the others?" Donatello asked.

"What others?" Cal replied.

"You know. Love, Brave, Stubborn...those others," Donatello explained.

"Why do you ask?" Leonardo wanted to know.

"Strength in numbers. Besides, we're in Raph's mind. His emotions are stronger than he gives them credit for," Donatello answered.

"I agree," Splinter replied.

"Tech, Dren, Mike and Don can go look for the others. Me, Leo and Sensei will keep them busy," Cal instructed.

The groups split up.

"Donny, do you think Raph and Rea are really gone?" Michelangelo asked as they ran through the base with their doubles.

"I hope not, Mikey. I hope not," Donatello said.

* * *

Dying was a strange feeling. Almost like falling asleep once you got past the pain. Coming back from the dead, however, was a different story. The peaceful, painless tunnel of darkness erupted into a volcano of excruciating pain.

"Raph? Raph?"

The voice was distant, but familiar. Who was speaking? And who was this "Raph"?

"Raph!"

The voice became more desperate.

"Raph! Wake up!"

A white hot pain shot through his right side. Had he been shot again? He didn't know which was worse. Getting shot or dying. Dying was a lot more annoying.

"He's not dead, is he?"

Another familiar voice. But, the name wouldn't register in his muddled brain.

"He's breathing," the first voice said.

Was he breathing? He hadn't noticed. The pounding in his chest seemed foreign to him. There was only one way to make sense of everything. He began to open his eyes.

"Raph? Rea, he's waking up!"

Rea? She was alive? The foreign drum in his chest skipped. The world slowly came into focus. A white clad girl was kneeling over him.

"A-An-Angel?" he stammered.

Angel smiled in satisfaction.

"Welcome back, Raph," she said.

"What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your hair wasn't white the last time I saw you. And you weren't wearing a white dress, either. And, what happened to your pigtails?"

"I've always worn my hair straight," Angel said.

Another girl appeared beside her.

"I was so scared we were too late."

"Too late for what?"

"Raph, you were stabbed," Angel announced.

"Then, why am I alive?"

"We're not exactly sure," Rea answered.

Raphael closed his eyes again. Everything was a blur. He couldn't remember anything past the pain in his side. A woman's face suddenly flashed through his thoughts. He opened his eyes.

"Who stabbed me?" he asked.

"Karai. Also known as Deceit," Rea told him.

"We were lookin' for someone, weren't we?"

"Your brothers," Rea confirmed.

Raphael nodded as if finally remembering recent events. His eyes became distant. Focused on something only he could see.

"She was disguised as Leo."

"Uh huh," Rea said.

"We were in the forest takin' a rest. You went for a walk and Leo went after you. I went lookin' for you and Leo. I heard you scream, but I went in the completely wrong direction," Raphael explained.

He squeezed his eyes against the memory. Rea took Raphael's hand in hers. He tightened his grip around her hand, reminding himself that she was beside him, alive and breathing.

"Hope found me in time," Rea explained.

Raphael opened his eyes and looked up at his best friend. His eyes fell on the expose skin of her throat. The skin was already scarring around a deep gash.

"Was that were she got you?"

Rea placed her hand over her throat. Her fingers touched the rough skin. She nodded in confimation.

"I'm so sorry," Raphael whispered. "First I almost kill Mikey and now I almost killed you."

"Deceit almost killed..."

"I didn't listen," Raphael interrupted.

He swallowed thickly. Angel looked from Raphael to Rea. A small smile touched her lips.

"What's so funny?" Rea asked.

"Nothing," Angel replied. "You two just look so cute together."

"As if," Raphael said.

He winced and placed a hand over his side. It had been cleaned and bandaged. Summoning his last remaining strength, Raphael pushed himself into a sitting position. A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him. He took a deep breath and held it. As he counted back from twenty he slowly released his breath.

"You okay?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Raphael told her.

The ground suddenly shook. The three friends braced themselves against each other.

"What was that?" Raphael asked.

"Ralph's making his escape," Rea announced.

"We have to get back," Raphael said.

"You're in no condition to fight," Angel scowled.

Raphael ignored her and got to his feet. Rea jumped to her feet and caught him before he fell back to the ground.

"Listen for once, would you?"

"I'm not letting that psychopath destroy my home," Raphael fought.

Angel stood up. She took Raphael's and Rea's hand.

"Then, I will bring you back," she said.

"Before we go, can I ask you something?" Raphael asked.

"Of coarse."

"Leatherhead once told me that my return brought you back."

"I disappeared for a while. I didn't think you needed me around," Angel explained. "But, when Ralph broke loose, I knew you needed a little hope. So, I came back."

"Thanks."

"I might not be with you when you get to the Ralph's lair, but if you ever need a little hope, just give me a call."

With Angel's last words, everything vanished in a soothing white light.

* * *

What do you think?


	21. The End

**A/N**: This is it. The final chapter. Sometimes I thought I would never see the end. I want to thank all of you wonderful people who have read and reviewed, your reviews helped so much. They were inspiring.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Turtles. Never have, never will. I only own Rea and Ralph.

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Dren asked.

"No," Tech replied.

"That's comforting," Donatello said flatly.

Happy stopped running and turned to face another hallway. The older mutants noticed and stopped as well.

"What is it, Raphie?" Michelangelo asked.

"Can you feel that?" Happy whispered.

"Feel what?" Donatello answered.

"That warm, fuzzy feeling," Happy replied.

Dren and Michelangelo glanced at each other. Donatello looked at Tech, who just shrugged.

"I feel her. She's down that hall," Happy announced.

"Feel who?" Donatello asked.

Happy took off down the dark hallway. With an irritated sigh, Tech bolted after his little brother. Dren, Michelangelo and Donatello took off after them.

"I sure hope, Splinter, Cal and Leo are having more fun than we are," Michelangelo said.

Back in the main chamber of the base, the floor gave way to a large vortex. The landscape of Central Park could be seen directly below.

"I sure wish we had our weapons," Leonardo whispered.

"Me too," Cal agreed.

"The weapon is not everything," Splinter told the twins.

"No. But they help," the boys said in unison.

"Once the vortex reaches full power we will be able to cross over into the outside world," Ralph told his faithful subjects.

"You won't get past the border."

Cal and Leonardo sprang from the shadows. Deceit pulled out her dagger and charged as well. Rage also joined the skirmish. Splinter blocked Ralph's path to the vortex.

"You will never see the other side."

"And you will never see the next sunrise, rodent."

Ralph swung his clawed gauntlet at Splinter's head. The ninja master ducked and jumped behind Ralph.

"This would be a lot easier if we had weapons," Cal yelled to Leonardo.

"Tell me about it," Leonardo yelled back.

He jumped out of the way as Rage brought his fist down. A crater was left in the floor. Leonardo gulped. Rage grabbed the back of his shell and threw him across the room. Ralph and Splinter stepped back as the blue-masked turtle went flying between. Leonardo crashed into a display case. He pushed himself up and shook his head. His attention was caught by something blue. Leonardo looked down. Lying a few feet away were his katanas. Breathing a sigh of relief, Leonardo picked up his swords and got to his feet. Rage stalked up to him. Leonardo spun his swords

"The odds just got better," he said.

"Those lousing toothpicks won't save you," Rage taunted.

"Maybe not. But, at least the fight's fair."

Rage swung at Leonardo. The turtle ducked and dashed around the human mountain. Rage let out a roar of anger. The room shook. Everyone flinched.

_"Why did Hun have to represent rage?"_ Leonardo asked himself.

Before he could move, a large fist connected to his stomach. The air was forced out of his lungs. Leonardo dropped his swords and grasped his stomach and fell to his knees. He gasped for air. A sharp pain shot through his chest. He winced. A few ribs were surely broken. Ralph and Deceit detained Cal and Splinter in a matter of seconds.

"Inform Bishop that the mutants have escaped and tell him to search the building. I will not have these freaks destroy my one chance for freedom," Ralph said.

* * *

The hall somehow felt like it was leading them downward. The air was gradually growing warmer and more humid. It became difficult to breathe. Happy came to a stop at a large metal door. The older turtles stopped to catch their breath.

"This is it. They're behind this door," Happy announced, pushing on the doors.

Tech walked up and picked up his little brother. Donatello examined the doors. His fingers brushed up against a nearly undetectable keyhole.

"Looks like we'll need Happy's lock-picking expertise again."

Happy wiggled out of Tech's hold and hopped down to the floor. He took out the metal stick from his belt and stuck it into the keyhole. He moved the stick around until there was a *click*. The door opened and the turtles walked into the room. Cages lined the walls. Each cage held five or six humans. They appeared to be in a suspended sleep.

"So, this is what happened to the humans of this world?" Donatello asked.

"I thought Ralph just destroy them all," Tech confessed.

Happy ran over to one of the cages on the far side of the room. Two women and one man occupied the cage.

"Love."

The elder woman looked up with tired eyes and smiled at the child.

"We found you! We found you!" Happy chanted.

"You most certainly did," Mrs. Marson replied.

Her eyes fell on the two sets of twins behind Happy. Her smile grew wider.

"Dren and Tech. My, you two have grown a lot since I saw you last."

"It's good to see you, Mrs. M," Tech greeted.

"Have you boys seen Raphael and Rea?" Mrs. Marson asked.

Tech and Dren shook their heads. Donatello and Michelangelo quietly slipped away to inspect the other cages. A bigger cage stood in the corner. Donatello walked over to it to find that Leatherhead occupied the cage. A human child was in his arms. Stepping closer, Donatello noticed that it was Tyler. Michelangelo tapped him on the shoulder.

"Donny, there's something strange about these humans," he whispered.

"What do you mean?" Donatello asked.

"Well, just look at them."

Donatello gazed around the room. Other than the suspended sleep the humans didn't look strange. However, Donatello soon realized that they were wearing different colored clothes. A few humans he recognized as Purple Dragons and a number of Foot soldiers. Then, he saw Stockman and Chaplin. Stockman no longer had a robot body, but a normal human one. His lab coat was a dark shade of green, whereas, Chaplin's was a soft violet color.

"Green with Envy," Michelangelo noted, humor lacing his words.

A small smile crosses Donatello's lips. He turned back to the cage that held Mrs. Marson. The couple inside with her were April and Casey. But, Casey's shirt was navy blue instead of red, and April's shirt was a canary yellow.

"Who are they?" Donatello asked, nodding to April and Casey.

"Stubborn and Common Sense," Tech answered.

"Casey represents Stubborn, right?" Michelangelo asked.

"Naturally," Happy told him.

"Mrs. M, how did you end up here? I thought your safe house couldn't be detected," Tech said.

"Bishop followed the ill-tempered," Mrs. Marson replied.

"Raph?" Donatello guessed.

"And Stubborn and Reckless."

"Speaking of Raph, I wish he were here," Michelangelo said.

"Where is Raphael?" Mrs. Marson asked.

The room fell into an even heavier silence. The ninjas looked away.

"He's dead," Donatello answered through clenched teeth. "Deceit got him."

"What about Rea?" Mrs. Marson asked.

Happy's eyes filled with tears. His bottom lip began to quiver.

"Oh. I'm so sorry I asked."

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Marson," Donatello replied, his throat tightening as he fought back tears. "She died protecting Raph."

"She always said that was how she wanted to go," Mrs. Marson whispered.

"So, how do we get you out of here?" Michelangelo asked.

"I'm afraid you can't, Michelangelo," Mrs. Marson said. "Not while Ralph has that vortex opened."

"We have to close it," Donatello told the others.

"How?" Michelangelo and Dren pointed out.

Mrs. Marson closed her eyes as if she was concentrating on something. A small smile crossed her tired features.

"With hope," she instructed.

* * *

The white light vanished and it gave way to a dark hallway.

"We're back," Rea said.

Raphael looked around. Angel was gone, but she had sent them to a place not far from the main chamber. He headed for the door and opened it a tiny bit. He could see Leonardo, Cal and Splinter tied up and guarded by Rage. Ralph had opened a portal and it was growing by the second. Raphael turned to Rea.

"Your brother's making his great escape," he whispered.

Rea hurried over to Raphael's side and peered through the opening. Her eyes narrowed. Raphael saw two katanas lying a few feet away from the door. He opened the door a bit more. Luckily, Ralph and his pets had their backs turned towards him. Kneeling down, Raphael reached over and grabbed one of the swords. Leonardo caught movement in his peripheral vision. He only dared to move his eyes. He saw a dark green figure slip out of the shadows and grab one of the fallen swords. Leonardo took in a sharp, deep breath. A moment later, the figure emerged.

_"Raph?"_ Leonardo asked himself in disbelief.

"The vortex is nearing full power. Prepare to decend," Ralph instructed.

He lifted his helmet up in a motion to put it on when a sword flew through the air and sent it flying out of his hands.

"What the?"

"Your flight's been cancelled!"

Everyone turned to face the door. Raphael and Rea emerged from the shadows.

"Impossible!" Deceit shrieked.

"What does it take to get rid of you?" Ralph roared.

"Whatever it is you don't got it," Raphael shot back.

"If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself," Ralph said.

"Bring it on," Raphael challenged.

Ralph grabbed the sword and charged. Raphael picked up the second sword and ran forward as well. Rea was left to face off against Rage and Deceit.

"We've got to help them!" Leonardo cried.

Rea dodged an attack from Deceit and side stepped to avoid Rage. She grabbed Deceit's wrist and twisted the dagger out of her hand. Rea grabbed the dagger and spun it. Before using it to defend herself, she wiped the blood off of the blade. The three captives could only watch helplessly as the two battles became more heated. Leonardo watched in horror as Ralph and Raphael edged closer to the vortex. Ralph swung the sword at Raphael's head. The turtle ducked around his adversary. He was only a few inches from the edge of the portal. Ralph noticed and an evil smirked crept across his face. He lunged forward.

"Raph! No!" Leonardo screamed.

Raphael stepped back, only to meet open air. For the second time since he was captured, Leonardo watched his brother disappear. Ralph jumped through the portal after him.

* * *

_(Outside world)_

The rain shot down from the clouds like hail stones. People dashed for cover, using their jackets or bags to protect themselves from the downpour. Casey, April and Splinter arrived at Central Park just as the vortex above finished growing. The windshield wipers shot back and forth rapidly across the glass.

"It's getting worse," April said.

Splinter closed his eyes as his ears perked up. He took in a sharp breath.

"I sense my sons are close," he announced.

"How close?" Casey asked.

Lightning flashed and seconds later a figure fell through the clouds. It was followed by another figure. Splinter opened the back door and climbed out of the Battle Shell. He ran to where the first figure fell. The trees bore significant damage. Splinter looked around. The rain was beginning to hurt, but he had to find his son. His ears picked up the almost indistinct sound of a moan. The ninja master ran towards the sound. The landscape started to show signs of a struggle.

"Get off me!"

"Raphael?" Splinter breathed.

He quicked his pace. There was the sound of metal against wood.

"It's over, reptile. Once that plague spreads across the city there's no stopping the outcome. I told you you would belong to me. Mind, body, soul, and everything that you hold dear."

Splinter heard Raphael groan. He also heard a chilling laugh. It sounded like Shredder's laugh, however, it was also foreign. Splinter edged closer to the scene. He saw Raphael kneeling on the ground. Someone who was dressed in Shredder's outfit stood over him.

"Has anyone ever told you that if you're not careful hate can consume you?"

"I've...been told that," Raphael grunted.

He tried to push himself to his feet, unfortunately, his legs didn't want to co-operate. He looked up at the blood red clad killer.

"Ralph, please, don't do this," he begged.

"You see? That's from hanging around my sister," Ralph said. "That pathetic display of weakness. I not only created the mirror to keep myself and my sister away from the world that wanted to separate us, but also to show the poor soul who found it their darker side. In your case, it showed every side. I never knew you had so many worthless emotions locked up. In fact, I don't blame you for locking them away."

"Is there a point?" Raphael snapped.

"Yes. The point is: you're never going to see your family again. After I'm through with you, you'll just be along for the ride. You see, I've been in need of a stronger body and you fit the bill," Ralph explained.

"You are _not_ possessin' me," Raphael growled.

"You won't have much of a choice," Ralph told him.

"Then I hope he gets a second opinion."

"Sensei?" Raphael asked.

Ralph spun around. Splinter glared at the intruder. Raphael had never seen his father look so angry in his life. Ralph turned to face Splinter.

"You're too late, rodent. Your son's life is forfeit."

"We shall let fate decide," Splinter said.

"No, Master Splinter! Don't!" Raphael yelled.

Ralph and Splinter raced forward. The sky cracked. Raphael closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the battle. He covered his head with his arms. He hated thunder storms. The lightning always liked to play tricks with the mind. Raphael looked up to see who was winning. Ralph brought his left hand down, the claws slashing across Splinter's back.

"Sensei!" Raphael cried.

Splinter fell to his knees. Ralph laughed.

"You mutants are so pathetic, it's almost painful," he taunted.

Raphael felt his heart nearing its final beats. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he couldn't move. He could only watch Splinter fall motionlessly to the ground.

That was it.

It was the end.

Raphael closed his eyes and hung his head. Hot tears ran down his face. His skin was numb from the pounding rain. He felt a familiar presence nearby. His brothers and Rea had shown up. Too late to do anything.

Ralph looked skyward. The blood red clouds were rapidly spreading over the city. The shadows froze anything and anyone they touched. The buildings turned to charred ruin under the darkness. Ralph cracked his knuckles. There was no one to stop him now. The mirror world occupants couldn't cross over except for Deceit, Anger and Rage. The others were locked up and would never get free.

Ralph walked over to Raphael who was now lying on the ground. The turtle made no motion to acknowledge that he knew his time was up.

_"No matter,"_ Ralph thought. _"He's just a shell, anyway."_

Raphael remained motionless. It would be painless, he kept telling himself. Quick and painless. Of coarse, he was no expert in body possession. For all he knew it could be the most painful thing he would ever experience.

_"Would serve me right," _the sai-wielder thought bitterly.

His chest began to burn again. His stomach knotted. Nausea slowly took over. Raphael squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to begin. Was this really the end? The end for the city? For his family? For him? It took everything he had and more to keep his brothers out of trouble in the mirror world and they were _still_ captured.

_"That's agape love."_

Raphael slowly opened his eyes. He gave until it hurt. Mrs. Marson said that was the strongest kind of love one could show. He wasn't just an empty shell. He could still love. Love was stronger than hate, wasn't it?

A dark shadow fell over him. Raphael closed his eyes again and waited. It was worthless. Love meant nothing in a world full of hatred.

_"It's hopeless."_

_"Nothing is hopeless," _a soft voice echoed in the back of his mind.

Raphael felt a hand close around the back of his neck. The metal sent a cold chill down his spine. Raphael winced. Rapid footsteps splashed against the wet grass.

_"Your bros are comin'. They're still here. It's not over yet."_

The cold chill turned into white hot liquid fire. Raphael cried out in pain. Ralph tightened his grip. The ninja jerked to free himself from the death grip. Raphael opened his eyes to look at his brothers for one last time, only to see Angel, clad from head to foot in white, looking down at him with a child-like smile.

_"If you need me, just give me a call,"_ she said.

Ralph pushed Raphael's head against the ground.

"I could really use a little hope right about now."

"Hope? What's hope gonna do?" Ralph laughed.

"This."

A hockey stick crashed against the side of Ralph's head. He released Raphael and stumbled back. The red-masked turtle pushed himself up and gasped for air. He coughed.

"Raph!"

Something green and blue appeared out of nowhere. It was soon joined by a green and orange blur, which was followed by a green and purple blur.

"You're alive," Donatello said.

"Barely," Raphael gasped.

His brothers released him and leaned back. Casey grabbed an unconscious Ralph and dragged him over to the mouth of the portal. The brothers looked up. Cal, Tech, Dren, Wisdom, Happy and a number of others stood at the top. Deceit, Rage and Anger were tied up. Brave threw down a rope. Casey tied it around Ralph and tugged three times. In a matter of seconds, Brave had Ralph back through the portal.

"Job well done," Tech called down.

"You too," Donatello yelled back.

Raphael couldn't help but smile when he saw Happy, Love and Hope. They smiled back. Happy giggled. Raphael looked to his right. Rea stood by his side. She was an inch shorter than him now and she no longer looked fourteen, but a healthy, mature sixteen-year-old. Her once red and blue hair now fell in fiery red strands around her head. They were matched with deep, crystal blue eyes. Raphael heard Love sigh.

"And, for the record. I _am_ allowed to show emotion towards my charges," Rea said.

Not knowing what higher being was in control of his body, Raphael wrapped his arm around Rea's waist, pulled her close and locked his lips with hers. He heard cheering and whistling in the distance, but he didn't care. He felt Rea's arms wrap around his neck. After a while, they broke apart.

"Not bad, for a mutant turtle," Rea commented.

"Not so bad yourself," Raphael added.

"Yo, lover boy, catch," Stubborn called.

He threw down the mirror. Raphael caught it and turned it over in his hands. He looked at Rea. They both knew what the other was thinking.

"Let's end it," Raphael said.

With each of them holding the handle, Rea and Raphael smashed the mirror against the ground. The glass shattered into thousands of pieces. The shadows retreated. The buildings returned to normal. The city began breathing again.

"Good luck," Love called as the vortex began to close.

"And don't forget to have fun," Happy added.

The vortex sealed and the clouds faded to a light grey. Raphael wrapped his arm around Rea's waist and pulled her close to him. Rea laid her head on his shoulder. Raphael felt a furry hand on his left shoulder. He turned around to see Splinter (alive and breathing) standing behind him.

"Sensei?"

"You have done well, my son."

Raphael managed an awkward bow.

"Thank you, father," he whispered as he straightened up.

Splinter smiled and patted his son's arm.

"Let us go home."

The group headed for the Battle Shell. A light drizzle sprinkled down, but nothing too serious. The mutants and humans climbed into the Battle Shell and drove away from Central Park. There was no longer any tension in the air. Finally, after two weeks of high running emotions, an easy and carefree breeze blew over New York.

**Fin**

* * *

That's a wrap. I hope you all enjoyed it.

I must apologize for the brief mushy moment near the end with Raph and Rea. I'm not much for the mushy stuff, but I couldn't resist. It was only for a brief moment and it was at the end. So, it wasn't too bad.

Anyway, let me know what you think.


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